Continued Protests by French Farmers; Cancellation of Diesel Subsidy Cuts Insufficient

The French government has canceled plans to gradually reduce diesel subsidies for agricultural use, but this action appears insufficient for angry French farmers, and their protests around Paris continue. According to Reuters, after two weeks of demonstrations that have spread across France, furious farmers blocked a major highway to Paris on Friday, February 25. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of government measures to alleviate the financial and administrative pressures on farmers. Arnaud Rousseau, head of France's largest farmers' union, told a local television network that protests will continue because the Prime Minister has not answered all their questions. Earlier, Gabriel Attal stated at a rural mountain farm on the French-Spanish border that solving farmers' problems is a top priority for the French government. He added that the plan to gradually eliminate government subsidies for diesel would be canceled, administrative procedures would be simplified, and his government would ask the European Union to consider exemptions for agricultural land in the country. Reuters noted that this is the first crisis of Gabriel Attal's premiership, as he was recently appointed to the position. In recent days, widespread protests by French farmers have caused significant disruptions in the country. They are spreading manure on public buildings and supermarkets, blocking highways by dumping hay and parking their tractors on roads, and emptying the contents of trucks carrying fresh produce from neighboring countries. Farmers had threatened to go to Paris to express their anger against government policies before Attal's remarks. Some farmers called Attal's promises a hopeful beginning, and roads in the rural areas where he spoke were reopened. However, French farmers' unions are demanding further action from the French government and negotiations with the Prime Minister to resolve their issues. The French government aims to reduce food prices after a period of high inflation, and stores say such a demand requires paying farmers less. According to the report, emergency negotiations are underway to determine a fair price for agricultural products, and the government has promised to pressure large stores to reach a fair agreement. France is the largest producer of agricultural products in the European Union. Reuters noted that the protests in France follow similar actions in other European countries, including Germany and Poland, six months before the European elections. These elections are significant, and far-right extremist parties are benefiting from farmers' discontent in some regions. Gabriel Attal, as the youngest Prime Minister in French history, was tasked with forming a government.