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Local France
5 days ago
- Politics
- Local France
French farmers dump manure and throw eggs in petition counter-protest
About 100 farmers from the southern départements of Tarn, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, and Hérault spread manure, dumped wool and threw eggs at the Toulouse headquarters of the green party on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Delphine Batho , Green MP for Deux-Sèvres, took to social media after her offices in Melle, 30km east of Niort, were also damaged – by, she said, members of the farming unions Jeunes Agriculteurs et la FNSEA in an effort to 'silence her on the Loi Duplomb.' The previous day, the Ministry of the Interior had recorded ' nine attacks on parliamentarians ' , with, in most cases, ' damage to offices, gatherings in front of offices or insults on social networks ' . Advertisement The protests and damage marks a rise in temperature in the debate over the 'Loi Duplomb' - law that has already been passed by parliament but which has attracted huge support for a petition against it. The law itself is proposed as simplifying rules and regulations for French farmers, but also contains plans to reintroduce a controversial pesticide which is known to kill bees. READ ALSO : The Local France - News and practical guides in English Tuesday's protest in Toulouse was called by farmers' union Coordination Rurale, in response to the online petition calling for the law to be repealed, which on Wednesday morning had more than 1.7 million signatures . The farmers said they were taking action to 'denounce the manipulation behind this petition against the Loi Duplomb.' The law, formulated in response to 2024's farmers' protests, and passed on July 8th, a few days before MPs broke-up for their summer vacations, reintroduces – among a number of measures to 'simplify' farming administration – the use of controversial pesticide acetamiprid, that had been banned in France but remained legal elsewhere in Europe. The use of acetamiprid, which is toxic to biodiversity, was demanded by beet and hazelnut producers, who claim they have no other solution to combat pests and say they are suffering from unfair competition from foreign producers. France's Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire has issued two opinions demonstrating that alternative products do exist. 'If we [cannot use] this product … all our sugar and hazelnuts will be imported from abroad,' Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, spokesperson for the Tarn-et-Garonne Coordination Rurale, told AFP on Tuesday evening. Mercadal described the Loi Duplomb as, 'a positive sign in the sense that we are making a law for farmers,' but 'it's a drop in the ocean – we need much more.' 'The Loi Duplomb is not the best in the world, but it was the one that listened to what we had to say,' added Dominique Raud, vice president of the Haute-Garonne section of the union. Advertisement 'The popular opinion comes from people in the city; we are in the countryside,' Raud added. 'We are the first environmentalists ... We see climate change, we are suffering from it.' Although some farmers unions support the Loi Duplomb, others are against it - especially producers involved in bee-keeping. Although the law itself was passed by the French parliament earlier in July it has not yet been put into effect and there are growing calls for another debate or to challenge some parts of the law. Some are calling on president Emmanuel Macron to use his constitutional powers to block it.
Local France
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Local France
What is France's Loi Duplomb and why are farmers protesting about it?
Back in January 2024, French farmers began a series of protests that included roadblocks on motorways and a 'siege' of the city of Paris. Their demands were varied, but among them was a request for a simplification and scaling back of the rules and paperwork that French farmers operate under. Eighteen months on, a piece of legislation that attempts to address those demands is coming before the French parliament - the Loi Duplomb, named after the right-wing Senator Laurent Duplomb who introduced it. The bill aims to "lift the constraints on the profession of agriculture". It has some measures to simplify the paperwork that farmers must deal with, which are relatively uncontroversial, but the other aspect of "lifting constraints" goes much further - relaxing or scrapping altogether rules relating to the use of pesticides, insecticides and other chemicals as well as rules on water storage and extraction. Advertisement Do farmers support it? This bill illustrates neatly why it's impossible to talk about 'the farmers' - agriculture is a huge and very varied industry that does not speak with one voice. Different types of farmers have different needs and problems, and sometimes those interests are in direct competition. The Loi Duplomb is supported by France's largest farming union the FNSEA - this union is dominated by the large cereal farmers and agri-businesses. They say that they face unfair competition because they cannot use certain types of pesticides and weedkillers which are legal in other EU countries. However other farmers and agricultural producers - especially beekeepers - are staunchly opposed to the Loi Duplomb, with many holding protests over the weekend. The country's third largest farming union, Confédération paysanne which advocates an agro-ecological transition, is opposed to the bill, but the Jeunes Agriculteurs (young farmers) union supports it. What's in the bill? The bill is wide-ranging and contains provisions on a number of topics. Among the most controversial are the relaxing of the rules on pesticide use and changes to rules on water storage. Also proposed are a relaxation around the rules on constructing new agricultural buildings and a weakening of the powers of the French biodiversity office. Advertisement Particularly controversial is the proposal to allow farmers to use a currently banned type of insecticide - acétamipride - which can be fatal to bees. Christian Pons, president of the beekeepers' union Union nationale de l'apiculture française (Unaf) denounced the law , which he says "claims to defend food sovereignty, but since when has it been acceptable to destroy one sector, that of beekeepers, in order to save another, that of hazelnut trees, for example?" Water storage and in particular the building of new water storage sites would be made easier under the Loi Duplomb, with exemptions granted to general rules that require any new project to protect local biodiversity. With increasing temperatures and drought, water supplies are likely to become more and more of a flashpoint in the years to come - in France the issue already led to violent clashes in the south-west town of Sainte-Soline where giant underground water storage basins were being built. Advertisement Farmers insisted the water storage basins were necessary to deal with drought, environmental campaigners accused them of diverting water supplies from local people and effectively trying to 'privatise' water. "The proposed Loi Duplomb will be detrimental to the proper functioning of natural environments, at a time when more than a third of France is already suffering from structural water shortages," said the group France nature environnement , adding that the water clauses of the bill are "yet another gift to a few industrial farmers, and detrimental to future production capacities". Environmental groups including Greenpeace have also raised concerns over the bill. So what next? Debates begin in the French parliament this week and are expected to be finely balanced, making it unclear whether the text will pass. Even within the government there are divisions - the agriculture minister Annie Genevard has asked MPs not to oppose it, saying that "farmers need it", while the environment minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher has said she is against the section on relaxing pesticide rules. The debates are expected to last at least a week, while if the law is passed it would likely need to be referred to the Conseil constitutionnel , which will judge whether the bill strikes a balance with France's environmental obligations. Further protests are also possible - the FNSEA began preemptive protests in May in an attempt to pressure MPs into supporting the bill, while environmental groups and other farming unions may continue protests against the bill.
Local France
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French farmers suspend protests as taxi drivers scale down airport action
Unions representing French farmers and taxi drivers have both separately announced that they will suspend or decrease protest action on Tuesday. However, it remains possible that new demonstrations could spring up again, as negotiations move forward with the government. Farmers Arnaud Rousseau, the head of the leading farming union, FNSEA, announced on the RMC radio station on Tuesday morning that the farmers' action "has been suspended following good news". "We're suspending the mobilisation (...) Tractors are returning to their farms, even though we had planned to still be there this Tuesday and Wednesday," he said. Rousseau was, confusingly, referring to the rejection of the Duplomb bill by MPs in France's Assemblée Nationale. The Duplomb bill is an agriculture bill making its way through parliament that intends to ''remove constraints placed on farmers", in part by allowing for easier access to pesticides. As a result, it has been contested by environmentalists and left-wing politicians. On Monday, a bloc made up of centrists, the right wing, and the far right deliberately rejected the bill to circumvent the 3,500 amendments that were tabled by the left. Advertisement This means the bill will go directly to a joint committee for debates, and it will do so in the Senate's version of the text, which farming unions have been supportive of. "It's good news, even if it's difficult to explain. The spectacle isn't encouraging, but what matters is seeing concrete results on our farms," Rousseau told RMC. Taxis France's national taxi union ( l'Union nationale des taxis ) on Tuesday also announced they would be decreasing their presence, but they did not say they would suspend protests entirely. The head of the national taxi union, Rachid Boudjema, told Franceinfo that "there will be no action around airports" in France on Tuesday. "The mobilisation is not weakening. We are still mobilised on the Boulevard Raspail in Paris, and we are waiting for developments," he told the French press. Unions representing taxi drivers were set to meet with representatives from the French government on Tuesday, with two meetings scheduled for the day. The first was set to be with the Ministry of Transport, and the second would be with the Ministry of Health. On Saturday, French PM François Bayrou announced that the government would review the health insurance agreement. Advertisement The new agreement intends to save the government €300 million, but it would revise fares for patient transportation in a manner that taxi drivers oppose. Will protests pick back up? The head of the farmers' union said that the FNSEA would remain "vigilant" as the farming bill makes its way through parliament. As such, it is possible more protest action could start up again. As for taxi drivers, continued protests at airports remained possible, depending on the outcome of meetings with the ministries of transport, health, and the actions of the prime minister. "We'll need a little more than promises," Boudjema told the French press. Emmanuelle Cordier, the head of another taxi union, the Fédération nationale du taxi (FDNT), told BFMTV on Monday that starting on Wednesday, there would be a "blockade if the meetings are not successful". You can keep up with updates at The Local's strike section.
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
French farmers protest in Paris over bill easing farm rules
Tractors are parked in front of the French National Assembly during a farmers protest in Paris on May 26, 2025. PHOTO: ALJAZEERA Listen to article Farmers have staged protests across Paris, blocking highways and rallying outside the National Assembly on Monday, in opposition to proposed legislation that would ease environmental restrictions on agriculture. The demonstrations, organised by France's main farming union FNSEA, come in response to amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a controversial bill that would loosen controls on pesticide and water use. Around ten tractors were parked near the National Assembly as over 150 farmers from regions including Île-de-France, Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur gathered to pressure MPs debating the bill. The proposed law, introduced by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb, seeks to simplify administrative procedures for breeding facilities, relax water use rules to encourage irrigation reservoirs, and reintroduce acetamiprid — a neonicotinoid pesticide banned in France since 2018 due to its environmental impact, particularly on bee populations. Supporters, including FNSEA, argue the pesticide is already authorised elsewhere in the EU and is less harmful than other alternatives. They claim the broader legislation is essential to maintaining France's agricultural competitiveness in the face of rising production costs and stringent EU regulations. 'This bill to lift the constraints on the farming profession is very important to us,' FNSEA Secretary-General Hervé Lapie told AFP. 'We've been fighting for this for 20 years. We don't have the patience to wait any longer.' However, environmental groups and unions representing small-scale and organic farmers warn the changes would favour industrial agriculture and undermine environmental protections. Critics on the political left have proposed amendments aimed at maintaining stricter standards, prompting concern among protesting farmers. 'We're asking the lawmakers, our lawmakers, to be serious and vote for it as it stands,' said Julien Thierry, a grain farmer from Yvelines, criticising MPs from the Greens and left-wing France Unbowed (LFI). Ecologists MP Delphine Batho called the bill 'Trump-inspired,' while LFI's Aurélie Trouvé described it in Le Monde as 'a political capitulation' and 'an ecological turning point.' FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau said protests would continue through Wednesday, with farmers from Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-France regions expected to join. Demonstrations are also planned in Brussels next week as farmers across Europe push back against EU green policies and environmental regulations. Farmers across the continent have secured concessions in recent years after protesting what they see as burdensome red tape and unfair competition from cheaper imports.
Al Jazeera
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
French farmers protest in Paris for law loosening environmental regulations
French farmers have disrupted highway traffic around Paris and rallied in front of parliament to protest against amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a bill that would loosen environmental regulations on farming. Members of France's leading farming union, the FNSEA, parked about 10 tractors outside the National Assembly on Monday to put pressure on MPs, who began debating the legislation in the afternoon. The legislation, tabled by far-right MP Laurent Duplomb, proposes simplifying approvals for breeding facilities, loosening restrictions around water use to promote irrigation reservoirs and reauthorising a banned neonicotinoid pesticide used in sugar beet cultivation that environmentalists say is harmful to bees. The proposed law is part of a wider trend in numerous European Union states to unwind environmental legislation as farmers grapple with rising costs and households struggle with the cost-of-living crisis. More than 150 farmers from the Ile-de-France, Grand Est and Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur regions gathered peacefully in front of the National Assembly, drinking coffee and eating croissants, after blocking the main roads around the capital. 'This bill to lift the constraints on the farming profession is very important to us,' FNSEA Secretary-General Herve Lapie told the AFP news agency. 'What we are asking for is simply to be able to work in a European environment: a single market, a single set of rules. We've been fighting for this for 20 years. For once, there's a bill along these lines. … We don't have the patience to wait any longer.' The FNSEA and its allies say the neonicotinoid pesticide acetamiprid, which has been prohibited in France since 2018 due to environmental and health concerns, should be authorised in France like it is across the EU because it is less toxic to wildlife than other neonicotinoids and stops crops from being ravaged by pests. Environmental campaigners and some unions representing small-scale and organic farmers say the bill benefits the large-scale agriculture industry at the expense of independent operators. President Emmanuel Macron's opponents on the political left have proposed multiple amendments that the protesting farmers said threatened the bill. 'We're asking the lawmakers, our lawmakers, to be serious and vote for it as it stands,' Julien Thierry, a grain farmer from the Yvelines department outside Paris, told The Associated Press news agency, criticising politicians from the Greens and left-wing France Unbowed (LFI). Ecologists party MP Delphine Batho said the text of the bill is 'Trump-inspired' while LFI MP Aurelie Trouve wrote in an article for the French daily Le Monde that it signified 'a political capitulation, one that marks an ecological junction'. FNSEA chief Arnaud Rousseau said protests would continue until Wednesday with farmers from the Centre-Val de Loire and Hauts-de-France regions expected to join their colleagues. Protests are also expected in Brussels next week, targeting the EU's environmental regulations and green policies. Farmers across France and Europe won concessions last year after railing against cheap foreign competition and what they say are unnecessary regulations.
