Today, farmers in France have blocked roads leading to Paris, despite the government taking multiple steps to find a solution between both parties. This situation arises as other countries, such as Poland and Germany, face similar issues where farmers are asserting themselves to gain leverage over their respective governments to address modern economic problems.
The main issues farmers want to address include raising wages, alleviating increased pressure from EU agricultural regulations, and modifying imports that undercut their livelihoods. A new statement is set to be released by Mr. Attal tomorrow morning after his meeting with the head of the farmer unions this evening. Additionally, the president will attempt to ease some of the pressure by bringing subsidies closer to French farmers with a push for that type of policy on Thursday at the EU summit.
Currently, eight barricades and 25 miles of road are blocked off with tractors and piles of hay stacked on top of each other. In response, 15,000 police officers have been deployed to scenes around the city. Protesters have no intention of leaving soon and have set up camps to sustain their efforts.
President Macron will attempt to ease some of the pressure by bringing subsidies closer to French farmers with a push for that type of policy on Thursday at the EU summit.
Already, the French government has dropped plans to reduce farming subsidies and other financial pressures, but the unions are still holding the line on their campaign until all of their demands are addressed.
