France’s largest agricultural union, FNSEA, has called for nationwide demonstrations on September 25 to protest the EU-Mercosur trade deal, U.S. tariffs, and import standards it claims threaten French farmers. The announcement came from FNSEA President Arnaud Rousseau in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
The protests are fueled by fears that the agreement will allow cheaper agricultural goods from South America into the French market — goods that FNSEA argues are produced under less stringent environmental, sanitary, and animal husbandry standards.
Aside from Mercosur, FNSEA also objects to U.S. tariffs and what it sees as unfair competition from imports that do not respect France’s agricultural norms.
The union puts pressure on the French government, led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, to protect food sovereignty and guarantee fair conditions for domestic producers amid the trade changes
