France wants a decision this week to change European Union (EU) environmental rules on agricultural land that must be left fallow under new biodiversity rules to help the farmers, the French agriculture minister said on Monday, the 29th of January, reports Reuters.
The French government is trying to fight ongoing protests by farmers for about a week.
The head of France’s largest farmers’ organisation has said that farmers on Monday will block all major roads within about 30 kilometres of central Paris, stressing that there is a feeling that the message of the protest is not getting through to the authorities while it is taking place far from Paris.
Over the past week, farmers in France have set up roadblocks and damaged property, including local government buildings.
Les agriculteurs déversent de nombreuses remorques (lisier, fumier, pneus, déchets…) devant la préfecture d’#Agen.#AgriculteursEnColere pic.twitter.com/bxK9J5Jygm
— Luc Auffret (@LucAuffret) January 23, 2024
On Friday, the French government abandoned a proposal to phase out state subsidies for agricultural diesel and unveiled additional measures to ease the financial and administrative burden on farmers. However, despite these efforts, many farmers are expressing their desire for additional support.
Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau have said on Monday that President Emmanuel Macron will push for more pro-farming policies to address the grievances of many of the bloc’s farmers at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels this week.
Fesneau have said that he himself will travel to Brussels this week to soften EU rules on agricultural land, which must be left fallow under new green rules.
He would seek an agreement with the European Commission on the revision of these rules “this week”.
Last year, the European Parliament approved a much-debated law aimed at restoring degraded natural ecosystems.
The legislation would require countries to introduce measures to restore 20% of land and marine areas by 2030, with the aim of halting the decline of Europe’s biodiversity, 81% of which is deemed to be in a poor state.
Despite the environmental targets, many farmers have expressed concern about the potential impact on their businesses.
Belgian farmers also launched a protest on Monday, with many farmers across Europe complaining that the EU is not doing enough to help them in the face of international competition and globalisation, according to Reuters.
Also read: BNN ANALYSES | As 1 500 tractors roar in Vilnius, conundrum of aligning green and agriculture policies persists
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