Farmers are leading a new action at the Spanish border, this Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The day after the blocking of the A9 between Barcelona and Perpignan, rural coordination was positioned in Fos in Haute-Garonne in order to block the passage of trucks from Spain.
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Bales of straw. Tractors and trailers have been put in place. Since mid-morning, this Wednesday, November 20, 2024, farmers in Haute-Garonne have been blocking the passage of Spanish trucks. “CR 31 angry“, we can read on a banner surrounding a bale of hay placed in the middle of the road which leads to the border between France and Spain.
Yellow hat marked with the letters CR of the Rural Coordination, Pierre Michel, cereal grower in Cintegabelle in Haute-Garonne, is one of the farmers positioned on a roundabout in Fos. “We are preventing Spanish trucks from entering France because they are the ones who import a lot of food to feed us. And so, within a few days, if all the borders are blocked, Toulouse should be hungry because the purchasing centers will not be supplied.“
Pierre Michel, a cereal grower in Haute-Garonne, is blocked. “Within a few days, if all the borders are blocked, Toulouse should be hungry.” • © Frédéric Desse / FTV
Starving Toulouse, the threat of rural coordination dates back several months. In mid-October 2024, tired of the puppets and the bla-bla, Lionel Candelon, the president of the CR du Gers, voiced the farmers’ fed-up after ten months of waiting for a reaction and aid from the government.
Also read: “We will paralyze and starve Toulouse, we have nothing left to lose”: the barely veiled threat from certain farmers for Christmas
A month later, the threat appears credible with these actions by farmers targeting imports from Spain and the blocking of purchasing centers. “Personally, 99% of my cereals go to Spain to feed their livestock which they send back to us in cellophane to feed Toulouse. Because in France, we didn’t want farms. Supposedly because it pollutes“, says Pierre Michel again on his point of mobilization of the day.
This Wednesday, November 20, 2024, rural coordination launched the blocking of several hypermarket supply centers in the South-West. This is particularly the case in Bressols, near Montauban, in Tarn-et-Garonne. “Watch out for shortages in the coming days“, we can read on the X account of Résistance paysanne in the caption of a video of the camp set up by the farmers.
⚡️🚨 NEUTRALIZED FOOD PLATFORM IN MONTAUBAN!
Farmers from CR82 and CR47 are currently blocking an Intermarché platform in Montauban.
BE CAREFUL OF SHORTAGES IN THE COMING DAYS… #RevoltePaysanne pic.twitter.com/vrbSqjX9XJ
— Résistance Paysanne (@ResistPaysans) November 20, 2024
“The goal is not to target one brand or another (…) we want to create shortages in stores to show people that without farmers, there is no food“, declared Olivier de Ginestet, corn and chicken producer in Landes, reports AFP.
Fueled by the proposed trade agreement between the European Union and the countries of South America, the anger of rural coordination farmers has not been appeased by Michel Barnier. In an interview with the trade union organization, the Prime Minister nevertheless declared that he was fighting against Mercorsur, “because I have had enough of us sacrificing entire sections of our economy at the European level“.
In solidarity with the agricultural world, Carrefour is committed not to sell any meat from Mercosur. This is the meaning of my message to the presidents of the agricultural unions. pic.twitter.com/bGo3ttA7Yt
— Alexandre Bompard (@bompard) November 20, 2024
The CEO of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard, for his part said he wanted “joining forces with the agricultural world“, by committing not to market any meat from Mercosur.
1. What is the main concern of the farmers who are blocking the passage of Spanish trucks in Haute-Garonne, France? How do they think this action will impact the supply chain and food security in the region?
2. Can you elaborate on the tensions between rural coordination and the French government regarding the proposed trade agreement with South America? What are the specific grievances of the farmers, and how has the government responded to these concerns?
3. What is the motivation behind the threats of “starving Toulouse” and the blockade of hypermarkets in the South-West? Do you think these actions could lead to real food shortages, or are they meant to be more of a symbolic protest?
4. How has the stance of Carrefour, a major supermarket chain in France, affected the broader discussion around the Mercosur trade agreement and its potential impact on local agriculture? Do you think other retailers are taking similar actions?
5. What are some potential long-term solutions that could address the concerns of both farmers and the French government regarding the country’s food security and support for local agriculture? Are there any policy changes or initiatives being proposed or discussed?
