Protests from angry farmers brought many French roads to a standstill in January, but the capital was largely spared disruption – despite threats to ‘besiege Paris’ and cut access to the city’s vital food market at Rungis.

In the event, union leaders agreed to call off the actions before most farmers got as far as Paris.

Manifestation des #agriculteurs de la Coordination Rurale à la veille de l’ouverture du #SalonDeLAgriculture de #Paris.

Des passants viennent applaudir les agriculteurs au milieu des tracteurs. pic.twitter.com/f5zaspFz8H

— CLPRESS / Agence de presse (@CLPRESSFR) February 23, 2024

However one month later, the protests have arrived in Paris as two convoys of tractors trundled slowly into the city centre on Friday.

LATEST tractor convoys arrive in Paris

The convoys began by conducting opérations escargots (rolling roadblocks) on the Paris ringroad, before moving in to the city centre at around midday.

Once there, they travelled slowly past some of the capital’s most famous landmarks including the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides – many decorated with banners or signs showing the village of département they had travelled from.

A group of farmers paused in Place Vauban and set up a barbecue.

The farmers are demonstrating ahead of the Saturday start of the Paris Salon de ‘lAgriculture – France’s biggest farm show and also the deadline that union leaders had set the government to come up with concrete proposals to address their grievances.

CRS – Compagnies Republicaines de Securite – police officers stand next to tractors. Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

A dairy farmer walks next to a giant cow sculpture bearing national colours and reading “fair milk” near the Ecole Militaire. Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP