Roadblocks and blockades were largely lifted over Christmas, but farmers in south-west France say they are planning new action in January.
In the run-up to Christmas protests organised by farmers over the government policy of culling cattle infected with Lumpy Skin Disease caused widespread travel chaos.
The roadblocks were largely lifted over Christmas as farmers went home to spend the festive season with their families – but unions say they have more actions planned.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why French farmers are protesting cattle culls✎
A64
The first action is planned ‘from Tuesday, December 30th’ and concerns the A64 motorway in south-west France, which runs from Toulouse to Bayonne. This has become the epicentre of protests, with farmers manning blockades there christening themselves the ‘ultras of the A64’.
There are plans to restart blockades from Tuesday, although exact details on location remain unclear – a gathering is planned at Cazères, between Toulouse and Tarbes, although it’s not clear whether a blockade will be erected there or whether this is only a meeting point.
Toulouse
The second action is planned in Toulouse on Saturday, January 3rd. This is a more traditional protest – farmers say they will walk into the city centre, holding signs and 106 crosses – to represent the 106 cows killed in the cull on a nearby farm.
Unions organising the march say there will be “no dumping, no burning” – unlike previous protests targeting préfectures where waste including manure has been dumped and tyres set alight.
Depending on the turnout it could, however, cause traffic disruption in the town centre.