Protesting farmers in France have begun blocking major highways in the Île-de-France region, according to the newspaper Le Parisien. Significant disruptions are reported in the departments of Yvelines and Val-d’Oise.
The protests are organized by the unions FRSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs amid debates in the National Assembly over a bill regulating agriculture and the use of pesticides. Farmers are blocking roads indefinitely, staging “slow tractor operations” that deliberately slow down traffic.
Specifically, in the Essonne department, farmers have set up barricades on national roads N118 and RN20. In Yvelines, road N12 is blocked, while in Val-d’Oise highways N104 and N14 are affected. Protests are also planned on highways A15 and N184.
According to the unions, similar “symbolic” protests will take place across France. Last week, farmers also blocked roads in northern France, in the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. They oppose provisions in the bill aimed at simplifying bureaucracy, revising pesticide restrictions, and certification procedures.
Since October 2024, mass farmer protests have been ongoing across France. In November, leading unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs called for actions against government inaction and unfavorable EU trade agreements. Farmers demand reduced bureaucratic barriers, payment of delayed subsidies, support for young farmers, less regulation, and blocking of the EU-MERCOSUR trade agreement.
