The French farmers rallied in the streets of Paris in a protest of discontent, with an estimated 350 tractors pouring into the streets of the capital in protest of their low earnings and the trade agreement with the continent of South America, which they say is threatening their economic survival. The trade agreement between the EU and the countries of Paraguay, as well as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, is scheduled to be finalized in Paraguay.
A procession of farm tractors roared from Porte Dauphine to the Arc de Triomphe via Avenue Foch, and then crossed the Seine River to the National Assembly and finally the Champs-Elysées, clogging the rush-hour traffic and bringing the disgruntlement of the farmers to the notice of the nation.
“Concrete and immediate action is needed to preserve the sovereignty of French agriculture and the income of farmers,”
exclaimed the unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs, otherwise known as Young Farmers.
Why French farmers oppose the Mercosur deal
The opposition is based on fears of being overrun by cheaper farm imports. An estimated $20 billion in farm exports goes from the Mercosur group of countries to the EU on an annual basis, including beef, broilers, and soybeans. Brazilian beef, for example, is cheaper by up to 40% compared to that of France because of differing regulatory environments and labor costs. Environmental and animal welfare standards also contribute significantly towards cost of production in these countries.
Although the decision was passed through a qualified majority of the EU’s member states, France, Poland, Austria, Hungary, and Ireland were opposed. Although the Macron government has been showing some reservations regarding the treaty, blocking the deal is less likely due to the general consensus within the EU.
Farmers argue that the deal undermines food sovereignty — the ability of a nation to set its own agricultural policies and protect domestic production. Fabrice Moulin, a cereal farmer in Eure, said,
“If we want to keep our food sovereignty, we should be allowed to practise our profession… Today, we can no longer make a living from our activity.”
Baptiste Zado, who runs a mixed crop and livestock farm in Yvelines, added,
“French livestock farming must take precedence over Brazilian livestock farming.”
The protests underscore longstanding concerns among European farmers about market liberalization. According to Eurostat data, French farm incomes have been declining in real terms over the last decade, while input costs for energy, fertilizer, and machinery have risen by an average of 25% since 2020. These economic pressures, combined with exposure to international competition, are fueling discontent.
The government response and ongoing unrest
The French government has been trying to react by committing €300m of support to growers of cereal, winegrowers, and livestock farmers, although most of this package depends on a new budget for 2026 that has been voted on as a budget for next year. Agri-Food Ministry head Annie Genevard has pronounced that the “anger” of the farmers is “deep” as their claims are “legitimate.”
Protests have not been limited to the Paris region. There have been filtering activities as well as blockades at major ports like Le Havre, Bayonne, and La Rochelle. The activity involves inspecting refrigerated trucks coming from different countries. According to Justin Lemaître, the general secretary of Jeunes Agriculteurs at Seine Maritime, some of the foreign products discovered through the activity include vegetables from Thailand and foreign flour.
The Interior Ministry reported 55 forms of protest activity over 31 departements, involving approximately 2,400 people, together with 1,000 vehicles. Large roads, Concorde bridge, as well as Quai d’Orsay, were closed, a sign not only of their numbers but also of the mounting discontent of farmers.
Broader implications for EU trade and agriculture policy
While the marches are primarily about short-term financial worries, they also contain fundamental implications for the European approach to trade liberalization, climate, and food security. In terms of food production, France is the second-largest producer in the EU, churning out 19% of the EU’s total farm production, so the French farmers have had significant influence over the EU’s approaches to farm policy. Other implications of the Mercosur deal are/tos:
Environmental organizations are also critical of the agreement because Brazil’s agricultural development has been known to cause Amazon forest destruction. As stated by the World Resources Institute, an estimated 2.8 million hectares of forest were converted for agricultural use in Brazil in the year 2025 alone, and much of it has been traced back to agricultural exports including soybeans and beef. European farmers are now concerned that their markets would be forced to compete with goods that were grown in unfavorable sustainable conditions.
The protests in France reflect broader tensions between globalization and national economic resilience. With global food prices rising — the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports a 12% increase in cereal prices over the past year — farmers argue that protecting domestic agriculture is essential for both national security and social stability. Failure to address these concerns risks continued unrest, potential blockades of key infrastructure, and erosion of trust in both national and EU-level policymaking.
