PARIS — French farmers are taking to the streets again.
Two of the country’s main farming unions say they are planning a new wave of protests next month to voice their opposition to the trade deal being negotiated between the European Union and South American countries of the Mercosur bloc.
The announcement comes as the two sides are aiming to finalize the pact by the end of the year, potentially on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 18 and 19. French farmers oppose the agreement as they fear they’d lose business if Europe opened its market to cheaper — and arguably lower-quality — beef and agriculture products.
“We call on our network to restart protests from Nov. 15, 2024,” the presidents of FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs, Arnaud Rousseau and Pierrick Horel, told French daily Ouest-France.
Rousseau said at a news conference on Tuesday that the protests could also reach Brussels.
The agricultural sector at large believes the government is not delivering on all its promises from the previous round of demonstrations, nor is it doing enough to stop the trade deal with the Mercosur bloc, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.