16 THE CAAR COMMUNICATOR EUROPEAN AG finally get their point across, a tractor blockade at every roadway leading in and out of Paris caught the attention of not only the government but also other European countries facing similar shortcomings. Vive la France One of the most challenging things for anyone—especially a government—is admitting they erred. As France’s Prime Ministeer Attal explained, “Have we responded to the problem? Evidently not. Have we made mistakes? Clearly.” To apologize and correct the situation, Attal said the government wants French ag to come first— meaning French food products produced in France by its farmers. The French government also announced a $162 million financial aid package for its farmers. A financial aid package worth over $215,000,000 was promised for French livestock farmers. The Prime Minister also announced a ban on the import of fruit and vegetables treated with thiacloprid, which is an insecticide that may be harmful to honeybee populations. Thiacloprid has been banned in the EU since 2019, but Canada and the US allow its use, though only for limited purposes in Canada. Most importantly, the French plan—which follows the UK and EU’s plans—to reduce pesticide usage has been put on hold. While pesticide reduction is still being considered, the French government wants to implement an easier way for farmers to reduce pesticide usage while maintaining their yield quantity and quality. It just doesn’t know how to do that yet. It wasn’t all just blocking traffic; some farmers dumped manure in front of local government buildings, while others dumped rotting fruit and bales of hay in public squares. Although France’s Paris blockage is considered over as of February 2, 2024, 18 protesters were arrested on January 31. Those arrested tried to manoeuvre their ag vehicles to the Rungis wholesale food market south of Paris. Rungis is a food terminal where many supermarkets, stores, and restaurants purchase their ag supplies. After police turned back farmers from entering the 578-acre site, some continued to attempt to enter, resulting in those arrests. Still later that day, some protesters made it into the food terminal, resulting in additional arrests, taking the total to 79 people. Despite delaying French travel, the farmers appeared to have the support of much of the populace, with supportive car honking being the norm rather than angry horn blasting. Around the World Even as the French ag revolution sputters to a halt with the government capitulating to the farmers’ demands, farmers’ unions elsewhere in Europe are considering similar action. Farmer associations in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Greece, and the Netherlands are also considering action ahead of the EU elections in June. These associations are not just railing against their own governments; they are railing against the European Union’s agricultural plans. Farmers blocked the streets with tractors on February 1, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. Then they had an even more violent argument with Belgian authorities, clashing with the police outside of the European Parliament building. Lots of thick black smoke from multiple fires marked the occasion. Why Brussels? Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union. Just hours later, the French farmer base reached an agreement with its government, which gave Belgium and the other European countries some hope that they might also see success. For Belgium, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, et al., the ag communities are faced with European farm subsidies, land-use policies, transport permits, export quotas, and tariffs. While Canada and the US have these issues, too, European farmers are being hit harder. Then again, it’s all relative, isn’t it? France wasn’t the only country to be concerned that Ukraine’s agricultural products were undercutting its livelihood. Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria also expressed their apprehension. To help suffering Ukraine, the European Union had essentially shot itself in the proverbial foot. For Ukraine, the European Union waived duties on food imports and exempted Ukrainian truckers from requiring permits. Yes, it helped money-starved Ukraine, but it also undercut ag in other countries where Ukrainian products were sold. The above countries all complained that it wasn’t fair that they had to abide by the EU rules, but also that they now had to compete against cheaper goods and services from Ukraine. And, as France pointed out, substandard products. To make matters worse, Ukraine is not a member of the European Union.
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