French Farmers Protest Mercosur Trade Deal Ahead of January Signing

On December 19, 2025, around thirty French farmers gathered with tractors and trailers in front of President Emmanuel Macron's villa in Le Touquet to protest the upcoming EU-Mercosur trade agreement. This demonstration, organized by the FDSEA, aimed to express opposition to several European agricultural policies, particularly highlighting concerns about unfair competition, reductions in the Common Agricultural Policy, and taxes on fertilizers.

Benoît Hédin, vice-president of the FDSEA in Montreuil-sur-Mer, described the protest as symbolic, with striking imagery like a coffin marked with messages such as "RIP AGRI," "Non Mercosur," and "Stop tax" placed outside the villa. Farmer Marc Delaporte lamented that despite two years of protests, political responses remained insufficient, and the importation of South American agricultural products posed threats to local farmers.

The Mercosur agreement, under negotiation for over 25 years, is designed to boost EU exports to South America while raising concerns among European farmers about increased imports of meat, sugar, rice, honey, and soy, which they fear will damage domestic sectors like poultry, beef, sugar, and honey production.

In response to the strong opposition, including from France, Italy, Poland, and Hungary, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a postponement of the agreement's signing to January 2026, delaying the ratification process. French agricultural unions such as the FNSEA hailed this delay as a significant achievement, calling the recent farmer mobilizations "historic" and reaffirming their demand for the complete withdrawal of the treaty.

Despite this temporary reprieve, French farmers and unions urge continued vigilance and mobilization against the deal. They view the postponement not as a resolution but a first step amid ongoing struggles to protect French agriculture from what they perceive as unfair trade practices.