Sawt Falasteen - French farmers' unions call for end to protests

France has seen the most angry of farmer protests that have spread across Europe over the past week. French farmers opposed agricultural fuel duty hike, complained about their pay and taxes as well as European Union regulations.

Arnaud Rousseau, chief of the biggest rural union FNSEA, and Young Farmers (JA) president Arnaud Gaillot held a press conference to announce the suspension of the action.

That followed promises of cash, eased regulations and protection against unfair competition by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the government's second wave of concessions in a week.

Rousseau hailed "real progress" and said Attal was "listening... to try and understand what's at stake for us".

But the union chief warned that new protests could be held if "initial results" from the promises were not seen when France's main agriculture trade fair opens at the end of this month and for European measures by June.

Rousseau reserved harsh criticism for the "deafness" of European level officials, lambasting the "technocratic structure walled into its Brussels offices".

The FNSEA and JA account for the majority of French farmers' union memberships although it was not immediately clear if other groups would also end protests that included blocking major roads into Paris.

Laurence Marandola, spokeswoman for the left-leaning Confederation Paysanne union, said she had "heard nothing" from the government concerning farmers' incomes and produce prices. "What we did hear was a big step backwards on environmental questions," she said.

- 'Back to the drawing board' -

Attal had earlier said he wanted to "better recognise the farming profession" and "protect" farmers against unfair competition.

He offered measures including an annual 150 million euros ($162 million) for livestock farmers and a ban on food imports treated with thiacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide already banned in France.

The French finance ministry put the total value of the immediate measures at 400 million euros.

Attal also vowed to ensure a clear Europe-wide definition of lab-grown meat, a technology still in its infancy.

All major supermarkets will be audited for compliance with a law supposed to ensure fair prices for farmers' produce, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire added.

France's national plan for reducing pesticide use "will be put back on the drawing board", Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said, sparking an outcry from environmentalists.

"This will have dramatic consequences for our health and biodiversity," said Green party deputy Sandrine Rousseau, while fellow deputy Marie-Charlotte Garina observed that farmers "suffer the most from pesticide use".

A first round of concessions last week included the withdrawal of the resented fuel tax hike.

Thousands of farmers from across Europe gathered in Brussels on Thursday. And in a sign of the pressure on Paris, President Emmanuel Macron held talks with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen to discuss "the future of European agriculture" before an EU summit in Brussels.

- Trade deal battle -

The European Union has in recent days announced a temporary exemption from rules requiring some farmland to be left fallow.

The bloc could also limit imports of some Ukrainian agricultural products, on which tariffs were dropped following Russia's 2022 invasion.

France's government hailed the moves as a victory for its lobbying, but they were not enough to soothe the farmers' grievances.

Many remain bitterly opposed to a long-negotiated free-trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur.

Paris has said it will not accept the agreement in its current form, although some other EU nations are determined to press ahead.

A group of 79 farmers was released after being held in custody for a Wednesday incursion into Rungis, a wholesale food hub serving the Paris region.

Farmers in Germany, Belgium, Poland, Greece, Italy, Romania and the Netherlands have also demanded action by their governments.

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J.Saleh--SF-PST