The leader of France’s largest farming union, the FNSEA, warned on Tuesday that the protests which rocked the sector last month could restart if the government does not take more action to address their demands for improved pay and working conditions.
The government is currently in discussions with farmers regarding increasing their selling prices to supermarkets and reducing the regulatory and bureaucratic burden that farmers have long complained about.
However, FNSEA head Arnaud Rousseau stated that with only 10 days left until the annual national farming convention, the government’s efforts are insufficient.
“We are not progressing at the right pace,” Rousseau told French TV station TF1.
When asked if farmers might resume the roadblocks that paralyzed many motorways in January, Rousseau replied: “Very likely.”
In the past month, farmers across Europe, including those in Poland, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, have staged demonstrations demanding better pay and improved working conditions.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; editing by Jason Neely)
