French farmers lift roadblocks as Europe protests persist

PARIS: French authorities said Friday the worst of a crisis that saw farmers block roads for days was over, as protesters began lifting barricades, but demonstrations persisted elsewhere in Europe including Spain, Italy and Greece.

In some of the fiercest among the EU-wide protests, French farmers had been out in force for more than a week, using tractors to block key roads into Paris and other major highways nationwide.

Farmers' numerous complaints range from burdensome environmental rules to cheap imports of produce from countries outside the EU, including Ukraine.

But their focus was on the challenge of making ends meet in the sector.

On Thursday, two of France's main farming unions announced a suspension of the protest, urging demonstrators to take their tractors off the streets.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had earlier promised cash, an easing of regulations and protection against unfair competition.

Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau said Friday that the worst of the crisis was "pretty much behind us".

"But the issues that we have to deal with and that have emerged in this crisis are still ahead of us," he told CNews television.

Authorities said Thursday evening that many roadblocks across the country were being lifted or eased and farmers continued to move tractors off the streets on Friday, even though some blockades remained in place.

In a number of other European countries including Italy, Spain and Greece farmers said protests would continue.

In Spain, three main farming unions said Friday they would continue to mobilise after a meeting with the agriculture minister, who pledged to "work" to address the crisis.

In Italy, farmers drove a convoy of tractors through the Sicilian town of Ragusa and protesters also blocked the port of Cagliari, on the neighbouring island of Sardinia.

Activists called farmers to also converge on Rome, and a protest was set to take place on Saturday north of the capital.

On Thursday, thousands of protesters from Europe had gathered in Brussels, clogging the streets with 1,300 tractors.

— AFP photo Dutch police officers with motorbikes operate as Dutch and Belgian farmers take part in a demonstration with tractors to block the border crossing between the Netherlands and Belgium, in Hazeldonk.