Protesting farmers from the Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers) trade union temporarily blocked Paris’s main street, the Champs-Élysées, by dumping hay bales on the road.
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“Jeunes agriculteurs of the Paris region show the blockade established an hour ago on the Champs Elysees and Place des Stars in Paris. Bales are scattered,” local media reported.
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Law enforcement officers quickly cleared the roadway. They brought in bulldozers, which pulled away the haystacks. Some of them remained lying on the roadsides. The flags of the FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs trade unions remained on the ground. There is nothing blocking the passage of traffic; there are no protesters on site.
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In France, farmer protests have been gaining momentum in recent weeks. Protesters are blocking key highways, blocking traffic with tractors, haystacks and piles of manure. Farmers also litter prefectures and government buildings with manure and waste. They demand recognition of the importance of their activities and condemn government policies in the agricultural sector, which, in their opinion, make them uncompetitive.
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In particular, farmers oppose the import of agricultural products, restrictions on the use of water for irrigation, increasing the cost of diesel fuel, as well as restrictive measures to protect the environment and the growing financial burden on production.
