Ravenlocke
31st January 2024, 21:14
https://x.com/newstart_2024/status/1752676603627262193
1752676603627262193
https://www.euronews.com/2024/01/31/tractor-barricades-squeeze-paris-as-farmers-anger-grows-across-europe
Tractor barricades squeeze Paris as farmers' anger grows across Europe
Farmers' anger is growing across Europe. Spanish farmers are the latest to join protests in countries including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Romania and Poland.
Spanish farmers are calling for a halt to the EU's ongoing negotiations on deals such as the Mercosur agreement, as well as negotiations with countries such as Chile, Kenya, Mexico and Australia.
They claim that products imported from outside the region "do not comply with the internal rules of the European Union (EU)".
Biggest challenge for newly elected French PM
Despite promises from the French government, farmers continue their blockade after 10 days of protests.
New aid measures announced by France's new prime minister Gabriel Attal have not convinced them. They have maintained their blockades and are moving closer to Paris, where French police have been deployed to contain the tractors.
Attal showered angry farmers with promises of help on Tuesday, from emergency cash aid to controls on imported food, hoping to cool a protest movement that has seen tractors block highways across France and inspired similar actions across Europe.
Farmers demanding better pay, fewer restrictions and lower costs are camped out on hay-strewn motorways and are encircling Paris, posing the biggest challenge to the new prime minister since he took office less than a month ago.
In a wide-ranging policy speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday, Attal sought to allay their concerns.
"We must listen to farmers who are working and worried about their future and their livelihood," he said.
"The aim is clear: to guarantee fair competition, in particular so that the rules applied to [French] farmers are also respected by foreign products," he said. Protection from cheap imports is one of the protesters' main demands.
Attal promised emergency aid to struggling wine producers and quick payment of EU subsidies to others. He also said food retailers who don't comply with a law designed to ensure a fair share of revenue for farmers will be fined, starting immediately.
However, French farmers remain sceptical and say they want action, not promises.
French protests hit Spanish farmers
The crisis in the French countryside is shaking up Spanish farmers who have been victims of vandalism and report losses.
Around 22,000 lorries enter France every day. Motorway blockades are hurting Spanish and Portuguese farmers, delaying the export of goods - including fruit, vegetables, meat, olive oil and wine - to the north.
Spanish truckers have witnessed French protesters emptying entire lorries to show their disagreement with policies they say discriminate against them compared to Spanish or Italian farmers.
Losses amount to more than €12 million a day, according to the Spanish transport employers' association.
Spain's Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has rejected suggestions that Spanish farmers have an unfair advantage over their neighbours.
Belgian farmers block motorways as protests continue
Belgian farmers continued to block roads on Tuesday, including the main E19 motorway to Brussels. They said they plan to stay on the road until the government meets their demands.
"We won't leave until we get political clarity," said Judy Peeters.
They are protesting for better wages, fewer restrictions and lower costs.
Protests in five regions of Italy
Italian farmers have called for demonstrations that will affect five regions of the country to protest against what they consider to be detrimental European agricultural policies. These protests follow several spontaneous rallies in recent days.
Farmers protested with their tractors near Rome for the third day in a row on Tuesday to demand the defence of the country's agricultural sector.
The mobilisation is being organised by a mainly youth-led movement called Agrarian Rescue, which has staged a series of protests over the past week, occasionally blocking roads.
"We demand a fair value for our products. We want Italian agriculture to be respected, understood and appreciated," they said.
https://x.com/NationalIndNews/status/1752780492586234092
1752780492586234092
Text:
Europe is gripped by massive farmer protests
In Europe, protests by farmers protesting against the agricultural policy of the European Union are intensifying.
The main highways and streets of cities in Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Hungary are blocked by hundreds of tractors.
https://x.com/Sprinter99800/status/1752769483737813492
1752769483737813492
¤=[Post Update]=¤
https://x.com/France24_en/status/1752632934970872126
1752632934970872126
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Text:
Spanish farmers to join in Europe-wide protests
The three main agriculture unions in Spain, Europe's leading fruit and vegetable exporter, issued a joint statement – echoing farmers' protests across France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands
“Spain's three main agriculture sector unions said on Tuesday, January 30, they would join a growing European protest movement on conditions for farmers.
Farmers' protests have already caused disruption in France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands – prompting the European Union to scramble to address their concerns ahead of European parliamentary elections this year.
"The agricultural sector in Europe and Spain is facing growing frustration and unease due to the difficult conditions and stifling bureaucracy generated by European regulations," the Spanish unions Asaja, UPA and COAG said in a joint statement. The unions did not give the dates or other details on their planned protests.
Protests by French farmers have grown into an attempt to block major roads leading into Paris. Farmers are angry about incomes, soaring electricity and fuel costs, as well as red tape and environmental policies they say undermine their ability to compete with other countries.
European farmers "are fighting against a deregulated market that imports agricultural products from third countries at low prices, which drives down" the prices of food produced in the EU, including Spain, the statement from the three Spanish unions said. "These products from outside of the EU do not comply with European rules" regarding respect for the environment and are the source of "unfair competition," which "threatens the viability of thousands of farms in Spain and Europe," it added.
Spain is Europe's leading exporter of fruit and vegetables, and the world's top producer of olives. It is one of the EU's agriculture powerhouses along with France, Germany, Italy and Poland.”
From: https://lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/01/30/spanish-farmers-to-join-in-europe-wide-protests_6479121_4.html
https://x.com/TheTapeDK/status/1752386404280103106
1752386404280103106
1752676603627262193
https://www.euronews.com/2024/01/31/tractor-barricades-squeeze-paris-as-farmers-anger-grows-across-europe
Tractor barricades squeeze Paris as farmers' anger grows across Europe
Farmers' anger is growing across Europe. Spanish farmers are the latest to join protests in countries including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Romania and Poland.
Spanish farmers are calling for a halt to the EU's ongoing negotiations on deals such as the Mercosur agreement, as well as negotiations with countries such as Chile, Kenya, Mexico and Australia.
They claim that products imported from outside the region "do not comply with the internal rules of the European Union (EU)".
Biggest challenge for newly elected French PM
Despite promises from the French government, farmers continue their blockade after 10 days of protests.
New aid measures announced by France's new prime minister Gabriel Attal have not convinced them. They have maintained their blockades and are moving closer to Paris, where French police have been deployed to contain the tractors.
Attal showered angry farmers with promises of help on Tuesday, from emergency cash aid to controls on imported food, hoping to cool a protest movement that has seen tractors block highways across France and inspired similar actions across Europe.
Farmers demanding better pay, fewer restrictions and lower costs are camped out on hay-strewn motorways and are encircling Paris, posing the biggest challenge to the new prime minister since he took office less than a month ago.
In a wide-ranging policy speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday, Attal sought to allay their concerns.
"We must listen to farmers who are working and worried about their future and their livelihood," he said.
"The aim is clear: to guarantee fair competition, in particular so that the rules applied to [French] farmers are also respected by foreign products," he said. Protection from cheap imports is one of the protesters' main demands.
Attal promised emergency aid to struggling wine producers and quick payment of EU subsidies to others. He also said food retailers who don't comply with a law designed to ensure a fair share of revenue for farmers will be fined, starting immediately.
However, French farmers remain sceptical and say they want action, not promises.
French protests hit Spanish farmers
The crisis in the French countryside is shaking up Spanish farmers who have been victims of vandalism and report losses.
Around 22,000 lorries enter France every day. Motorway blockades are hurting Spanish and Portuguese farmers, delaying the export of goods - including fruit, vegetables, meat, olive oil and wine - to the north.
Spanish truckers have witnessed French protesters emptying entire lorries to show their disagreement with policies they say discriminate against them compared to Spanish or Italian farmers.
Losses amount to more than €12 million a day, according to the Spanish transport employers' association.
Spain's Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has rejected suggestions that Spanish farmers have an unfair advantage over their neighbours.
Belgian farmers block motorways as protests continue
Belgian farmers continued to block roads on Tuesday, including the main E19 motorway to Brussels. They said they plan to stay on the road until the government meets their demands.
"We won't leave until we get political clarity," said Judy Peeters.
They are protesting for better wages, fewer restrictions and lower costs.
Protests in five regions of Italy
Italian farmers have called for demonstrations that will affect five regions of the country to protest against what they consider to be detrimental European agricultural policies. These protests follow several spontaneous rallies in recent days.
Farmers protested with their tractors near Rome for the third day in a row on Tuesday to demand the defence of the country's agricultural sector.
The mobilisation is being organised by a mainly youth-led movement called Agrarian Rescue, which has staged a series of protests over the past week, occasionally blocking roads.
"We demand a fair value for our products. We want Italian agriculture to be respected, understood and appreciated," they said.
https://x.com/NationalIndNews/status/1752780492586234092
1752780492586234092
Text:
Europe is gripped by massive farmer protests
In Europe, protests by farmers protesting against the agricultural policy of the European Union are intensifying.
The main highways and streets of cities in Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Hungary are blocked by hundreds of tractors.
https://x.com/Sprinter99800/status/1752769483737813492
1752769483737813492
¤=[Post Update]=¤
https://x.com/France24_en/status/1752632934970872126
1752632934970872126
¤=[Post Update]=¤
Text:
Spanish farmers to join in Europe-wide protests
The three main agriculture unions in Spain, Europe's leading fruit and vegetable exporter, issued a joint statement – echoing farmers' protests across France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands
“Spain's three main agriculture sector unions said on Tuesday, January 30, they would join a growing European protest movement on conditions for farmers.
Farmers' protests have already caused disruption in France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands – prompting the European Union to scramble to address their concerns ahead of European parliamentary elections this year.
"The agricultural sector in Europe and Spain is facing growing frustration and unease due to the difficult conditions and stifling bureaucracy generated by European regulations," the Spanish unions Asaja, UPA and COAG said in a joint statement. The unions did not give the dates or other details on their planned protests.
Protests by French farmers have grown into an attempt to block major roads leading into Paris. Farmers are angry about incomes, soaring electricity and fuel costs, as well as red tape and environmental policies they say undermine their ability to compete with other countries.
European farmers "are fighting against a deregulated market that imports agricultural products from third countries at low prices, which drives down" the prices of food produced in the EU, including Spain, the statement from the three Spanish unions said. "These products from outside of the EU do not comply with European rules" regarding respect for the environment and are the source of "unfair competition," which "threatens the viability of thousands of farms in Spain and Europe," it added.
Spain is Europe's leading exporter of fruit and vegetables, and the world's top producer of olives. It is one of the EU's agriculture powerhouses along with France, Germany, Italy and Poland.”
From: https://lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/01/30/spanish-farmers-to-join-in-europe-wide-protests_6479121_4.html
https://x.com/TheTapeDK/status/1752386404280103106
1752386404280103106