Farmers throughout France organized large-scale protests on Monday against the proposed trade accord between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American nations, reports Deutsche Welle.
The farmers argue that the deal threatens their livelihoods by allowing a surge of cheap South American agricultural imports produced under less stringent environmental standards.
As farmers face cheaper imports, burdensome regulations and meager incomes, a Mercosur deal would represent a bitter "cherry on the cake," Arnaud Rousseau, head of France's main farmers' union, the FNSEA, told BFM TV.
"We are against the conclusion of an unbalanced treaty likely to destroy part of the French agricultural sector," he told French financial newspaper La Tribune Dimanche.
According to Rousseau, farmers will conduct rallies on Monday and Tuesday, mainly in front of government buildings, with protests expected to last until mid-December.
Coordination Rurale, a union linked to the far right, has promised an "agricultural revolt," including food freight blockades beginning Tuesday in southwestern France.
French president Emmanuel Macron — who is currently on a tour of Latin America — has reiterated his long-standing opposition to the treaty.
After a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, Macron said France would not approve the agreement in its current form.