AP explains why protesting farmers have French government in a bind

(30 Jan 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Villabé, France – 26 January 2024
HEADLINE: FRENCH GOVERNMENT TRIES TO CALM FARMER PROTESTS
1. Tractors driving down A6 motorway to meeting point

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Paris, France – 30 January 2024
2. SOUNDBITE (English) John Leicester, AP Chief Correspondent in Paris:
“So, if you’re thinking of taking a road trip through France, this is not the time to do it. You’re going to run into tractors. Lots and lots of tractors.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Villabé, France – 26 January 2024
3. Various of tractors driving down A6 motorway to meeting point

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Paris, France – 30 January 2024
4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Leicester, AP Chief Correspondent in Paris: ++PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SHOTS 5,6, AND 7++
“They’re being driven by protesting farmers. They’ve been out now on the roads for the last couple of weeks, setting up barricades, using hay bales to block traffic, and now using their tractors to essentially encircle Paris with a protest movement of barricades trying to put the government under pressure. They have an array of demands, but essentially the message is that in this country, that is the European Union’s agricultural superpower being a farmer is becoming increasingly difficult. Farmers say that they’re struggling with higher costs, that the produce they make isn’t getting the money that it used to, and that they’re dealing with imports of all sorts of things, from chickens to tomatoes and also produce coming from Ukraine.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jossigny, France – 29 January 2024
5. Low angle shot of tractor
6. Tracking shot from inside tractor

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jossigny, France – 30 January 2024
7. Long line of tractors parked on highway
8. Top shot of crowd of farmers staging a protest on the highway

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Paris, France – 30 January 2024
8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Leicester, AP Chief Correspondent in Paris: ++PARTIALLY OVERLAID WITH SHOTS 9++
“Now, where this goes next isn’t very clear. Both sides essentially have settled into a battle of wills, with the government releasing some measures. But those measures, the farmers say, aren’t going far enough. And so for the moment, the tractor blockades are in place around Paris and the farmers are setting in for a long haul.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saint-Arnoult, France – 26 January 2024
9. Pan of woman waving French flags on bridge overlooking convoy of tractors driving down motorway
STORYLINE:
AP’s Chief Correspondent in Paris John Leicester explains why French farmers are protesting, using a large number of tractors to barricade highways travelling into Paris.

The country’s new prime minister showered promises of help on the angry farmers on Tuesday, from emergency cash aid to controls on imported food, in hopes it would cool the protest movement in the nation and inspired similar actions around Europe.

Farmers seeking better pay, fewer constraints and lower costs are camped out on hay-strewn highways and encircling Paris, posing the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal since his appointment less than a month ago.

He sought to assuage their concerns in a sweeping policy speech Tuesday at the National Assembly.

Attal promised emergency aid to struggling wine producers and quick payments of EU subsidies to others.

He also said food retailers who don’t comply with a law meant to ensure a fair share of revenues for farmers will be fined, starting immediately.

Protesters rejected pro-agriculture measures that Attal announced last week as insufficient.

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So if you’re thinking of taking a road trip through France this is not the time to do it you’re going to run into tractors lots and lots of [Applause] tractors they’re being driven by protesting Farmers they’ve been out now on the roads for the last couple of weeks setting up barricades using hay

Bales to block traffic and now using their tractors to essentially encircle Paris with a protest movement of barricades trying to put the government Under Pressure they have an array of Demands but essentially the message is that in this country that is the European Union’s agricultural superpower being a farmer is becoming increasingly

Difficult Farmers say that they’re struggling with higher costs that the produce they make isn’t getting the money that it used to and that they’re dealing with Imports of all sorts of things from chickens to tomatoes and also produce coming from Ukraine now where this goes next isn’t very clear both sides essentially has

Settled into a battle of Wheels with the government releasing some measures but those measures the farmers say aren’t going far enough and so so for the moment the tractor blockades are in place around Paris and uh the farmers are setting in for a long haul