French farmers blockade ports to protest EU-Mercosur deal

Farmers in France have intensified protests against the upcoming trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. Demonstrations have targeted key maritime and transit hubs.

In the Southwest, protesters established a blockade using straw bales at the La Pallice industrial port near La Rochelle. Additionally, members of the Confédération paysanne, Modef, and the Basque union ELB targeted the Maïsica cereal site at the port of Bayonne, despite local prohibitions on gatherings.

On the A63 motorway, a group of non-unionized protesters known as “les Ultras de l’A63” held a blockade near Bayonne. Following negotiations between the protesters and the local prefect, the blockade was lifted overnight without reported damage, allowing traffic to resume between France and Spain.