US EditionFrench Farmers Drive Tractors into Paris to Protest EU-Mercosur Deal
French farmers drove 350 tractors in Paris to protest an EU-Mercosur trade deal they say threatens livelihoods and food security, demanding immediate government action, organizers said.
- On January 13, 2026, French farmers drove hundreds of tractors into Paris to protest the EU-Mercosur deal, with Paris police estimating around 350 tractors converging on central avenues.
- Damien Greffin, vice‑president of the FNSEA, said protests are driven by fears that an extra 99,000 tonnes of beef from Brazil and Mercosur will undercut EU farmers, amid cattle culls for Lumpy Skin Disease.
- Tractors crawled down the Champs-Élysées and other central avenues, prompting road closures, while one convoy reached the Arc de Triomphe and another the National Assembly; by 7am about 150 tractors had entered Paris escorted by police.
- The deal is due to be signed on Saturday even as France opposes it, heightening domestic tensions; Maud Bregeon, French government spokesperson, said new measures to help farmers will be announced soon.
- The Mercosur deal would create a free-trade area covering more than 700 million people, reshaping trade as farmers in France and Ireland protest fears of market influx.
42 Articles
42 Articles
After more than 25 years, 27 EU member states have agreed on the free trade agreement, while in France several hundred farmers have gone out on the streets.
French farmers stage new Paris protest in bid to halt Mercosur deal
French farmers drove tractors into Paris on Tuesday for the second time in a week to protest against an EU-Mercosur trade deal they say threatens local agriculture by creating unfair competition with cheaper South American imports.
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Independent EspañolAssociated Press PARIS (AP) — French farmers and ranchers drove some 350 tractors along the cobbled avenues of Paris to Parliament to protest their low incomes and an EU trade agreement with several South American countries that fear threatening their livelihoods. Escorted by police, tractors complicated peak hour traffic as they advanced along the Champs-Elysées and other avenues of Paris, and then crossed the Seine River to reach the National …
Today's demonstration has been organized by FNSEA, one of France's largest agricultural unions.
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