French farmer protests: union calls for ‘mass restart’ of action

Protests and road blockages by French farmers look set to return in January with a leading union in the sector calling for a “mass resumption” of action in the coming days. 

The third-largest union, the Confédération Paysanne, which represents around 10,000 farmers, wants protests to resume in the first week of January. 

It has highlighted January 7 - the day after the union plans to meet with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu - as a key day for action.

The union says the call is being made due to the treatment of cows with lumpy skin disease and the upcoming EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which is set to see a crucial vote in mid-January. 

Currently, a small number of roads in the south-west continue to be blockaded, including on the A64 between Toulouse and Tarbes. Our article explains how to check for live updates if driving in the area.

How disruptive are protests expected to be?

The various agricultural groups seem far from aligned on future action despite anger across the sector uniting farmers in December.

While departmental branches of other farming unions, such as the Jeunes Agriculteurs and Coordination rurale, have already announced planned action in January – including in Normandy from January 5 – the groups have not called for action at a national level. 

This does not rule out local groups and individuals belonging to the unions joining any Confédération Paysanne protests but it can make it harder to assess the impact of disruption as protestor numbers will remain unknown until action begins.

The lack of cohesion is partly due to political lines – the Coordination rurale is generally seen as right-wing, with the Confédération Paysanne to the left. 

The Jeunes Agriculteurs are an offshoot of the main farming union, the FNSEA, for farmers below the age of 38. 

The FNSEA is often seen as more focused on economics and pragmatic aims, and is generally the union that remains in dialogue with the government the longest during any crisis, being the main group to put forward demands or accept concessions. 

However, as seen during the current disputes, other unions do not always agree with the FNSEA.

The FNSEA demanded a ‘Christmas truce’ and called on blockades to be lifted following an agreement with the government on December 19, however some major blockades remained in place.

The Confédération Paysanne also criticised its fellow union for ‘giving in’ to the government. 

“The agricultural mobilisations of December demonstrated the determination of a majority of farmers to oppose the current management of the [lumpy skin disease crisis],” said the Confédération Paysanne in a press release. 

“But instead of listening to the legitimate anger of farmers, the government and the leaders of the FNSEA have redoubled their efforts to discredit our actions and demands.” 

The FNSEA took centre-stage in negotiations with the government prior to the holiday season, but has been relatively quiet since demanding the Christmas truce.

Currently it is unclear whether it will join in calls for further action in January.