After days of local and regional protests by farmers in France, agricultural unions have called for a blockade of Paris. Five highways in the direction of the capital were to be blocked beginning midday on Friday, Jan. 26, according to the broadcaster France Info. In addition, protests have been announced for today in some 85 of France’s 101 départements administrative divisions.
The unions presented a list of demands to the government on the evening of Jan. 24. They are demanding emergency aid for the sectors that are suffering the most—especially organic farming and viticulture—as well as compensation for the higher price of diesel. In addition, they call for withdrawing various regulations, e.g., on water abstraction and the use of pesticides.
The protests were also joined by fishermen, for whom a one-month fishing ban is in place for the first time, to protect dolphins on the Atlantic coast.
