PARIS, January 13. /TASS/. Hundreds of tractors blocked the Quai d'Orsay and the road in front of the National Assembly (France’s lower house of parliament) in Paris as part of the farmers’ mass protests against the free trade agreement between the EU and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), a TASS correspondent reported.

Police estimate that 350 tractors are participating in the rally organized by the trade unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs. Law enforcement officials blocked some central roads to maintain order. According to a TASS correspondent, the tractors occupy over a kilometer of roadbed. The rally is expected to last until 6:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT).

"Agriculture is in a deep crisis now. We’ve come to this institute of power to put pressure on politicians and the government to finally respond to our demands," a farmer told TASS. He emphasized that, despite French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that France would vote against the EU-Mercosur deal, authorities have not done enough in recent years to prevent the agreement from being signed. The farmer also noted that excessive bureaucracy in the agricultural sector makes it extremely difficult for French farmers to compete with those in other countries.

EU-Mercosur deal

On December 4, 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU-Mercosur trade agreement was on the verge of being finalized. Despite protests from European farmers, the sides concluded a trade agreement on December 6. For the document to take effect, each EU member state must approve it. To block the agreement, four countries representing at least 35% of the EU population must oppose it. Currently, the EU’s agricultural lobby, France, and Poland, among other European states, are against it.