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FARMING

Farmers warn of more egg-smashing rampages

Angry French poultry farmers laid down an ultimatum to the government on Tuesday. If the price of eggs does not rise in two weeks, they will resume a rampage that saw them smash 200,000 eggs in a matter of days earlier this month.

Farmers warn of more egg-smashing rampages
Farmers are threatening a repeat of an egg smashing rampage that saw 200,000 broken in a matter of days. Photo: Fred Tanneau/AFP

French poultry farmers who last week smashed 200,000 eggs in protests over low prices on Tuesday threatened repeat action following talks with the country's agriculture minister.

Last week's protests were staged by a collective of militant farmers operating outside the structure of the main unions in the sector.

A spokesman for the group, who would only be identified by his first name Sebastien, said: “Prices have to go up. We will allow 15 days for that to happen, otherwise action will resume, we don't know yet what form that will take.”

Yves-Marie Beaudet, the head of the eggs section of the UGPVB, a union which accounts for 40 percent of French egg production but took no part in last week's smashing, said his members would support efforts to boost prices by cutting back production.

Beaudet welcomed a commitment by Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll to seek new export markets for French eggs as part of attempts to rebalance supply and demand and push domestic prices up from levels that producers say are unsustainable.

Farmers have been hit by rising feed prices and a new European Union directive that has forced them to invest in bigger pens for their laying hens. According to the UGPVB, production costs in France are now running at 95 cents per kilogram of eggs, 20 cents more than current wholesale prices.

Last week farmers in Britanny smashed 100,000 eggs on consecutive days in protests designed to highlight their plight.

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POLITICS

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

France has vowed to prevent a trade deal between the European Union and the South American Mercosur bloc from being signed with its current terms, as the country is rocked by farmer protests.

France vows to block EU-South America trade deal in current form

The trade deal, which would include agricultural powers Argentina and Brazil, is among a litany of complaints by farmers in France and elsewhere in Europe who have been blocking roads to demand better conditions for their sector.

They fear it would further depress their produce prices amid increased competition from exporting nations that are not bound by strict and costly EU environmental laws.

READ ALSO Should I cancel my trip to France because of farmers’ protests?

“This Mercosur deal, as it stands, is not good for our farmers. It cannot be signed as is, it won’t be signed as is,” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcasters CNews and Europe 1.

The European Commission acknowledged on Tuesday that the conditions to conclude the deal with Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay and Uruguay, “are not quite there yet”.

The talks, however, are continuing, the commission said.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French farmer protests

President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that France opposes the deal because it “doesn’t make Mercosur farmers and companies abide by the same rules as ours”.

The EU and the South American nations have been negotiating since 2000.

The contours of a deal were agreed in 2019, but a final version still needs to be ratified.

The accord aims to cut import tariffs on – mostly European – industrial and pharmaceutical goods, and on agricultural products.

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