Farmers block routes from Spain, Germany

French farmers blocked roads from Spain and Germany on Sunday to stop foreign products entering the country - the latest protest against a fall in food prices that has brought them to the brink of bankruptcy.

Farmers in the northeastern Alsace region used tractors to obstruct six routes from Germany in a bid to stop trucks crossing the Rhine carrying agricultural goods, in a blockage that was expected to last until at least Monday afternoon.

"We let the cars and everything that comes from France pass," said Franck Sander, president of the local branch of the powerful FDSEA union, adding that more than 1,000 agricultural workers were taking part in the roadblocks.

A dozen trucks have been forced to turn back at the border since the blockade started at around 10 pm on Sunday night, according to a union official.

Meanwhile, about 100 farmers ransacked dozens of trucks from Spain on a highway in the southwestern Haute-Garonne region, threatening to unload any meat or fruit destined for the French market.

They used about 10 tractors to block the A645 motorway not far from the Spanish border, causing traffic jams that stretched up to 4 km, said Guillaume Darrouy, secretary-general of the Young Farmers of Haute-Garonne.

The action comes after a week that has seen farmers block cities, roads and tourist sites across France in protest at falling food prices, which they blame on foreign competition, as well as supermarkets and distributors.

Farmers have dumped manure in cities, blocked access roads and motorways and hindered tourists from reaching Mont St-Michel in northern France, one of the country's most visited sites.