French farmers have begun dumping garbage in front of government buildings amid large-scale protests against the EU’s proposed policy changes that would see local farmers decimated by low-cost imports from South America.
Videos online reveal farmers dumping soil and old tires, garbage bags, soil and hay in front of their government’s administrative headquarters in Rodez.
Across France, farmers are protesting mostly against the proposed EU-Mercosur trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The agreement aims to create one of the world’s largest free trade zones by eliminating tariffs on a wide range of goods and services.
But French farmers worry that the agreement will open the door to a flood of low-cost agricultural imports from South America, especially sugar, cattle, and poultry. South American farmers also don’t have to meet the same health environmental standards.
Arnaud Rousseau, head of France’s main farmers’ union, told a local TV outlet the deal would be a bitter “cherry on the cake.” Rousseau said the protests, which started on Monday, will last until mid-December.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron has also stated that he’s opposed to the trade deal as it’s currently written. However, as part of the EU, France does not have unilateral veto power over the agreement. Instead, decisions can be made by a qualified majority in the Council of the EU, meaning that if enough member states support the deal, it could be ratified without France’s approval.
The European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen, is primarily responsible for negotiating and proposing the agreement on behalf of the EU member states.
British farmers stage massive protest in front of parliament
In March, British farmers formed a massive convoy and took to the streets over similar concerns, storming the gates of Westminster, London, and protesting before parliament. Moreover, 70,000 Polish farmers took to the streets, setting up several blockades and shutting down the borders with Ukraine and Germany in protest of the EU’s climate regulations.
