Farmers block roads in France price protest
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FURIOUS over low milk and meat prices, French farmers blockaded access to Mont Saint-Michel, one of the country’s top tourist spots, for a second day yesterday.
Dairy, beef and pork farmers in Europe’s leading agricultural power rolled out dozens of tractors to block roads leading to the Normandy towns of Caen and Evreux, as well as the world heritage site monastery at Mont Saint-Michel on the north coast.
Tourists were forced to get out of buses and roll their suitcases towards the monastery, which sits on an island and attracts some 3 million visitors a year.
President Francois Hollande said an emergency plan to help the farmers would be presented at his weekly cabinet meeting today.
Retailers and food industry heads promised to raise prices on meat and dairy after a meeting with farmers last month.
But farmers say they have yet to benefit from the price hikes in supermarkets and are working at a loss, triggering a wave of strikes across the country that escalated into the protests this week.
“The situation of farmers and milk producers is very difficult. That is why I have called on distributors to take responsibility. They must stick to their commitments,” said Hollande.
“Tomorrow (Wednesday) the cabinet will take decisions.”
Pig farmer Jean-Michel Juhel in Pledeliac in northwestern France said he loved his job and his animals, but was unable to meet production costs.
“Many farmers are suffering a great deal. We have never known a crisis like this and we don’t see a solution.”
Juhel works 14 hours a day on his farm, but he loses 30 euros (US$33) on every pig he sells for meat.
It has been a long time since he paid himself a salary, and he has nearly exhausted his savings to inject 60,000 euros into his farm this year just to stay afloat. He blames European policies for his woes, saying competition notably with eastern European countries was “crushing” French farmers.
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