French farmers block access from Germany and Spain
July 27, 2015
Over a thousand French farmers have blocked roads from Spain and Germany to stop foreign produce entering the country. The protest follows a week of action against a fall in food prices, pushing them towards bankruptcy.
The blockade in France's northeastern region of Alsace began at 10:00p.m. local time (2000 UTC) on Sunday and was expected to continue until at least Monday afternoon.
According to President of the Departmental Federation of Agricultural Holders' Union (FDSEA ), Franck Sander, more than a thousand agricultural workers took part in the blockades, forcing a dozen trucks to turn back from the French-German border overnight.
"We let the cars and everything that comes from France pass," Sander said.
Local French newspaper "L'Alsace" reported 60 tractors blocking the French side of the "Bridge of Europe," close to Strasbourg and the German town of Kehl.
Raids and barricades
Similar action was also seen in southwestern France on the A645 motorway, near to the Spanish border, causing tailbacks stretching up to four kilometers (2.5) miles.
Around 100 farmers were also seen ransacking dozens of trucks travelling from Spain in the Haute-Garonne region, threatening to unload any meat or fruit en route to the French market.
Diverse determinants
Sunday's protests followed a week of action by France's agricultural sector which saw manure dumped in cities and blockades to major tourist attractions such as one of the country's most visited sites, the Mont St-Michel in the country's northeast.
The widespread lobby comes amid growing fears of falling food prices which has brought around 10 percent of French farms - around 22,000 operations - to the brink of bankruptcy.
A combination of factors including changing dietary habits, decelerating Chinese demand and the ongoing Russian embargo on Western products over the Ukraine conflict has left the affected farmers facing a combined debt of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).
'Sustainable solutions'
The French government last week unveiled an emergency package worth 600 million euros in tax relief and loan guarantees.
"The aim of the government's plan is to deal with the emergency but also to bring sustainable solutions," Prime Minister Manuel Valls said at the presidential Elysee Palace after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Farmers criticized the measures, however, arguing that they still face higher labor costs and quality standards than their foreign counterparts.
"The measures announced by the government … none of them deals with the distortion of competition" with farmers from other countries.
ksb/jil (AFP, dpa)