French farmers stage new protest against Mercosur deal

French farmers drove tractors into Paris on Tuesday, for the second time in a week, to protest against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which they say threatens local agriculture by creating unfair competition with cheaper imports from South America, reports Reuters.

Farmers in France, the largest agricultural producer in the European Union, and other member states have been protesting for months against the EU-Mercosur agreement.

Paris police said they estimated there were around 350 tractors at Tuesday's demonstration.

"The Mercosur agreement was approved even though the European Parliament has not spoken. This will lead to the import of foreign goods that we can perfectly produce in France and which do not comply with the standards imposed on French agriculture," says Damien Grefin, vice-president of FNSEA and a farmer from the Paris region.

Grefin said that in addition to the protest in front of the French parliament, they are also planning a demonstration in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on January 20.

The approval of the Mercosur agreement by most EU countries on Friday, despite France's rejection, has increased pressure on the government from farmers and opposition parties, some of whom have tabled motions of no confidence.

"Agriculture is going through a crisis like we've never seen before, and we need to be heard," said Guillaume Lefort, a farmer from Seine-et-Marne in the Paris region, holding an FNSEA flag outside the Assemblee Nationale parliament building.