French farmers keep up roadblock to push govt

PARIS — French farmers were on Tuesday maintaining roadblocks on key highways into Paris for a second day, increasing pressure on the government for more concessions in an intensifying standoff.

In recent weeks there has been a slew of protests in France, a major agricultural producer, by farmers angry over incomes, red tape and environmental policies they say undermine their ability to compete with other countries.

There were 40 kilometers of traffic jams around the capital in late morning Tuesday, according to monitoring site Sytadin.

Protesting farmers started the operation on Monday by blocking the A13 highway to the west of the capital, the A4 to the east and the A6 on which hundreds of tractors rolled toward Paris from the south.

"We need answers," said Karine Duc, a farmer from the southwestern Lot-et-Garonne department, as she joined a convoy of tractors heading for Paris. "This is the final battle for farming. It's a question of survival," she told Agence France-Presse.

In response, the government ordered the deployment of 15,000 police officers and gendarmes.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told security forces to show restraint, but he also warned the farmers not to interfere with strategic spots.

Armored police vehicles were deployed to Rungis on Monday after some farmers threatened to "occupy" it.

The government has been trying to keep discontent among farmers from spreading ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, which are seen as a key test for President Emmanuel Macron's government.

Macron called a meeting with several ministers Monday afternoon to discuss the situation, his office said.

Despite the protests, Macron began a two-day state visit to Sweden on Tuesday.

Macron is also set to meet with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the crisis and support measures that farmers are demanding at the EU level, his office said.

During a visit to a farm on Sunday, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal sought again to address farmers' concerns after a raft of concessions announced on Friday failed to defuse the crisis.

Government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot said "new measures will be taken" to help farmers.

'Given us nibbles'

Farmer leaders said the government's responses so far were insufficient. "The prime minister has given us nibbles, and now we'd like him to work a bit harder and give us more," said Arnaud Lepoil, a member of the leading farmers' union FNSEA.

In neighboring Belgium, farmers have stepped up their own campaign, and in recent weeks farmers' protests have also grown in Germany, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands.

Belgian farmers also blocked highways in southern Belgium and parked tractors near the EU Parliament in Brussels. Some 30-40 tractors were parked up on the E19 road just south of the Belgian capital on Monday morning, with many farmers having spent the night in their cabs.

"Seeing that it was starting up in other countries, we thought …maybe if we all get together we will be stronger in the eyes of the EU," cereal and egg farmer Jean Riz said. "We would like the EU to shoulder its responsibilities."

Agencies via Xinhua