French farmers cut off Paris with tractors
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The reading
French farmers are angry with their government. They are blocking roads around France's capital city of Paris. There are many reasons for the farmers' anger. It is becoming more difficult for them to survive. Inflation in France is increasing because of high energy prices. This is making food more expensive for farmers to produce. The war in Ukraine is causing higher prices, especially for fertilizers. The farmers are also angry because the government is not protecting them from cheaper food coming from other countries, especially Eastern Europe. Finally, they are furious with European Union climate measures, which are adding to red tape and the costs of doing business.
The farmers blocked major highways around Paris. They parked their tractors on main roads to stop traffic going in and out of the city. They also dumped smelly agricultural waste outside government offices. Farmer Christophe Rossignol told the Associated Press news agency: "We've come to defend French agriculture. We go from crisis to crisis." Another farmer said: "Parisians are going to be hungry. The goal is to starve Parisians." A large farmers union said: "Our objective is to put pressure on the government so that we can quickly find a solution for a way out of the crisis." Some tractors had messages on them that said: "No food without farmers" and "The end of us would mean famine for you."
Sources:
- https://www.foxnews.com/world/protesting-french-farmers-plan-siege-capital-paris-rejecting-government-concessions
- https://thehill.com/policy/international/4436517-french-farmers-blockade-paris-in-heated-protest/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/29/french-farmers-block-major-motorways-around-paris-as-dispute-escalates
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