FRENCH FARMERS UP PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT AS PROTESTS SPREAD – 50% of cereals are exported outside France.
Protesting farmers blocked roads across France and there was one fatal accident, as their unions urged the government to ease its drive for lower consumer prices and reduce environmental regulations.
The protests, heading into a second week after spilling over from neighbouring countries, come as campaigning for European Union elections gathers pace. The unrest is the first major challenge for new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
The government prides itself on its fight against inflation, pressuring the food sector to lower supermarket prices. But with agricultural protests spreading across Europe just as producers, suppliers and retailers conclude their annual price talks, many farmers say they are at the sharp end of this policy.
Hours after union officials met Attal on January 22nd evening, new convoys of tractors set out in the night to block roads across the country, protesting against what they say are unfair prices and taxes, as well as excessive green regulation.
