APRIL 2024 15 Rage against the European Union Although the weeks-long protest and blockades in France may have halted on February 1, 2024, farmers in other European countries have taken up the cause with their protests. By Andrew Joseph, Editor E46AV22/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo EUROPEAN AG Like a revolution that took place 150 years ago, it began in France in 2024. Or did it begin as early as 2023? The issue: French farmers were upset with how little their efforts and products were being valued by their government. While it’s true that may be an over-simplification of things, we’ll get to the crux of the matter soon enough. During the protests, delaying tactics squeezed access in and out of France’s larger cities. It wasn’t a full-out denial of entry but rather just enough of a delaying tactic to be annoying and inconvenient. As such, two of France’s main farmers’ unions asked their members to end the protest that was blocking access in and out of Paris. Make no mistake, the French farmers did not enjoy harassing their compatriots. But their hold on the arteries going in and out of the capital appears to have worked, as the French government agreed to many of their demands. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, then just three weeks into the job, had failed with his initial attempt to quell the blockade that was starving Parisians of access to fresh fruits and vegetables. His second attempt went much better. The protests began in France after farmers realized the government ignored their concerns. French farmers were angry over rising input costs, increased taxes, falling income, and European agriculture policies. Regarding its European neighbours, French farmers were upset about their government purchasing too many agricultural products from Ukraine. Understanding that Ukraine is at war with Russia and can use financial aid, French farmers railed against its government for being too generous in flooding the market with Ukrainian agricultural goods, not to mention that they believe that much of the Ukrainian products to be substandard to expected French food quality. Even worse for the French farmers, the Ukrainian products were sold cheaper than their own. For French farmers, purchasing too many substandard and inexpensive Ukrainian agricultural products affected their livelihood while lowering the accepted food standards for consumers. The French farmers said they had been raising their concerns to the government for years, but to A German citizen carrying a sign that says “We support our farmers” as the country’s farmers demand a reversal on diesel fuel subsidy cuts. Astrid860/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo
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