Protesting French farmers lifted blockades across the country Friday, clearing highways in time for the first day of local summer holiday departures.
Protests were limited to picketing at dairies and the dumping of manure at some supermarkets, Agence France-Presse reported. Blockades of Seine River bridges in Normandy and around the cities of Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand further south were lifted earlier Friday.
As many as 10 per cent of France’s livestock farmers are in financial difficulty, Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll said Wednesday, after the government presented a 24-point plan to help beef, pork and dairy farmers who have been demanding higher prices for their production.
“There are a lot of livestock farmers who work all day and don’t earn a cent,” said Laurent Chapart, who heads accounting firm Cogep, which has 3,000 clients in the food and farm industries. “Prices need to rise. If the consumer wants quality products, he needs to pay quality prices.”
European Union ministers will meet on Sept. 7 to discuss the crisis in livestock farming, Le Foll said after dairy industry talks in Paris. The minister said he’ll seek higher dairy support prices and will meet with his German counterpart in August to discuss livestock.
News by Bloomberg, edited by ESM
