On the eve of the opening of the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris, around fifty tractors and trucks from the Rural Coordination gathered on avenue de Versailles, next to the Porte de Saint-Cloud, in Paris to maintain pressure on the government, noted on Friday February 23 a journalist from France Bleu Paris. After launching a snail operation on the ring road, the farmers, who aim to get to Place Vauban in Les Invalides, face riot police who prevent them from moving freely. Follow our live stream.
A major debate shunned by the FNSEA. The head of state proposed Thursday a big debate at the Agricultural Show with agricultural unions, agro-industrialists, environmental associations, including the Earth Uprisings. The invitation of the environmental collective angered farmers, even if the Elysée ultimately removed the organization from the guest list. Hervé Lapie, secretary general of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions, announced Friday on franceinfo that his union refuses “for the moment” to participate in the great debate.
“This debate is a good idea,” assures Marc Fesneau. The Ministry of Agriculture “hope” that the great debate planned between Emmanuel Macron and actors from the agricultural world can be held. “This debate is a good idea”, he insisted on Friday on TF1, adding that he considers “inopportune” the invitation from the Elysée to the Uprisings of the Earth.
The unions want to “keep up the pressure”. After almost a month of negotiations with the government, Rémi Dumas, vice-president of Young Farmers, recognizes “advances” in the discussions but “The account is not completely there and that is why we must maintain the pressure.”