French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou hosted farmers' unions at his office in Paris on Monday as farmers continue to request concrete solutions to their issues.
Arnaud Rousseau, head of the National Federation of Farmers' Unions (FNSEA), stressed the need for a budget for 2025, according to media reports.
Rousseau voiced the expectation of having an agriculture budget that takes into account agricultural issues, with a commitment of €450 million (approximately $460 million) to strengthen the competitiveness of the farms.
Pierrick Horel, president of the Young Farmers (Jeunes Agriculteurs or JA) announced that no new demonstrations were planned for now.
The 2025 Paris International Agricultural Show, which will start on Feb. 22, will be a major opportunity to evaluate the temper.
Farmers launched nationwide protests in Jan. 2024, and the government then promised concrete measures, which, according to the farmers, were not held.
Claiming better income and simplified bureaucratic work, as well as simplified EU regulations, the farmers were also furious about competitiveness issues due to the EU-Mercosur deal.
Talks between the EU and South American trade bloc Mercosur countries on a free trade agreement started back in 2000 and went through on and off phases.
The EU and Mercosur plan to reduce high tariffs on agricultural products, and Mercosur countries would easily sell products such as meat, chicken, and sugar to the EU.
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen in early December announced that they had finally reached an agreement, and French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as other French officials, said they were not in favor of it. Macron thus assured farmers that France would not ratify the deal as it is.
