Groups of French farmers maintain blockades on different highways and at the entrance to the port of Le Havre this Sunday (10) to protest against the agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur.
Around 300 farmers took part in the action in Le Havre, which, in the morning, was limited to inspecting trucks, but allowing port employees’ vehicles to circulate. The information was confirmed by the general secretary of the Young Farmers union in the Sena Marítimo department, Justin Lemaitre, to the broadcaster France Info.
The objective was to let through “only products that respect our production rules” and “denounce this Mercosur agreement”, highlighted Lemaitre.
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Asked how many days they intend to remain at the entrance to the large French port on the Atlantic coast, the union leader replied that they will stay “as long as the forces allow” and also as long as the forces of order, who on Sunday morning surrounded them from a distance, authorize.
For Lemaitre, although last Friday (9) the ambassadors of the EU countries gave their approval to the trade agreement with Mercosur, with France voting against, “there are still ways” to block its implementation, particularly when it is voted on in the European Parliament, but also with the option of an appeal before the EU Court of Justice.
Other blocking points were established in France, mainly in the south of the country, such as on the A63 highway, at the Biriatou tollbooth, near the Spanish border; or on the A64 highway, which connects Toulouse to Bayona, at Carbonne.
European agricultural organizations regretted the approval given by Member States to the signing of the association agreement and assured that they will carry out new mobilizations.
In recent days, producers have staged protests in several countries, including Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and Greece. The European Union plans to formally sign the trade agreement on January 17th, in Paraguay.
Belgian farmers also protest against the EU-Mercosur agreement
Farmers also occupied highways in Belgium this Sunday. According to Belgian media, disruptions to the country’s roads persist in the provinces of Hainaut and Namur, both on the border with France. On Friday night (9), after two days of intense demonstrations, blockades had been lifted in most provinces.
However, local press outlets confirmed this Sunday that, in the province of Namur, the barriers installed on the E411 highway remain, keeping part of the highway closed. Several outages in different directions in the province of Hainaut also continue to operate.
Furthermore, Brussels police reported on Saturday (10) that a tractor driver dumped a load of potatoes in the Grand-Place, in the heart of the Belgian capital, in a symbolic act of protest against the commercial treaty. “The driver was taken to the police station for questioning,” police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said.
Farmers and livestock farmers from the Flemish union Boerenbond, who gathered last Thursday (8) in front of the European Parliament, denounced that the free trade agreement will force the Belgian and European agricultural sector to compete with imported products produced “with lower standards and insufficient controls”, as explained to EFE Agency Pieter Verhelst, member of the organization’s executive board.
