French farmers from all over the country drove their tractors all the way to Paris (some left their farms on Sunday) to protest the rising production and administrative fees in a year when the prices of their goods have gone down, making the costs higher than the profits. Over a thousand of the tractors drove through the boulevards of Paris today, shown here between Place de la Bastille and Place de la République, to petition President Sarkozy to do something to help them, particularly to defend their interests in Brussels where the EU deregulation of the agricultural markets has pushed prices down, making it impossible for them to make a living.
See a video here from France 24 (in English).
Prices going down and cost going up are serious issues that are affecting all farmer’s. Way to go? Demonstrating! A thousand tractors crossing Paris boulevards is a good thing to see…
Love the French they really do know how to protest, it’s a pitty us British aren’t as pro-active :o(