PARIS, 13 Feb Several dozen milk producers staged a protest nearby with the building of the French National Assembly, condemning the government's policies and the fall in prices for their products, the correspondent reports.
Not far from the Invalides esplanade in the center of Paris — tractors and cans. Several dozen milk producer protesters arrived in the capital to express disagreement with government policies.
«We do not agree with the government's measures to overcome the crisis. In 14 EU countries, milk producers have been protesting for a month, this continues in France, Belgium, Spain and other countries. Our goal is to show that the problem is not temporary, but structural. This price problem. Due to competition, prices for agricultural products are falling. And we have proposals to combat this,» said the organizer of the protest, President of the Association of Independent Milk Producers (APLI) Adrien Lefebvre.
He noted that the dairy workers did not stop their protest, despite calls from leading farmer unions, and did not agree to return home.
«Today a huge number of young people, people who are not members of trade unions, are taking to the streets. We do not have the slightest desire to stop the protests, because these problems have not been taken seriously,» he noted.
Protesters placed two tractors and haystacks on the roadway, on which there were mock-ups of cows painted in the colors of the French flag.
Lefebvre said that about 60 tractors were supposed to participate in the demonstration, but the city authorities did not let them through.
Farmers intend to hand out free bottles of milk to passers-by to draw attention to the problems of their profession and insufficient remuneration. A similar event is taking place next to the Eiffel Tower.
As farmers said, the authorities responded only to the demands of large trade unions, including in terms of strengthening control over the Egalim law, according to which retailers are required to purchase products from farmers at fair prices. According to them, Egalim compensates only 50% of production costs, since it does not cover products that are exported and sold to restaurants. Nor does it protect them from unfair competition from other European and foreign manufacturers.
Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the FNSEA farmers' union, Arnaud Rousseau, said that French farmers are ready to resume strikes if the country's authorities do not take additional measures to support them.