PARIS, January 29. /TASS/. Farmers demanding state support measures are holding protests in 40 French communes, the BFMTV TV channel reported, citing a source in the National Police.

According to the TV channel, "as of Monday morning, the actions are taking place in 40 settlements across the country."

Earlier, union leaders vowed to block access roads to Paris and other major cities. The Interior Ministry said it would not allow the roads to major cities to be completely blocked and that it intended to deploy 15,000 police and gendarmes to suppress public order violations.

The traffic situation is further complicated by the protest of taxi drivers, who do not agree with the new rules for the transportation of sick people. They declared ‘Operation Snail.’ As part of this action, taxi drivers occupy all lanes on the highway and drive at a minimum speed, thus slowing down the rest of the traffic.

Farmers protest

In an interview with the newspaper La Tribune de Dimanche, Arnaud Rousseau, the head of France's biggest farming union, the FNSEA, said that French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had taken into account only a small fraction of the 122 demands that the protesters had presented to the authorities. Farmers are waiting for answers on how to deal with imports of cheap grain and poultry from Ukraine, pension issues and EU environmental directives.

Mass demonstrations are taking place in France over farmers' dissatisfaction with falling incomes due to inflation and increased imports of agricultural products from Ukraine. Farmers are also demanding the simplification of EU-driven bureaucratic procedures and the easing of agricultural regulations. As a sign of protest, farmers on tractors blocked highways and held demonstrations in front of government buildings.

On January 26, the French Prime Minister announced the first government measures to support farmers. As a result, some of the protesters decided to take a break over the weekend, leading to a reduction in the number of barricades on the country's roads. Major unions vowed to continue the protests and promised to block major highways in the capital and the Rungis market near Paris starting on January 29. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen ordered the police to prevent a "blockade of Paris.".