Strikes continue as France scraps diesel hike on farmers

The head of France's biggest farming union - the FNSEA - said he was calling on its members to pursue their protest movement, even though earlier in the day the government had announced plans to improve farmers' living and working conditions.

"We have decided to pursue our movement," FNSEA leader Arnaud Rousseau told French TV station TF1.

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His remarks came after the French government dropped plans to gradually reduce state subsidies on agricultural diesel earlier on Friday.

Nevertheless, Rousseau said those announcements from Prime Minister Gabriel Attal "did not respond to all of our questions" and "did not calm down" the anger of many farmers. Rousseau warned of the continuation of the strikes which have seen motorways leading to the capital, international border crossings and government offices barricaded by industrial farming equipment.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Friday offered a key concession to protesting farmers on diesel tax as part of measures the government hopes will end growing nationwide demonstrations.

France's newly appointed Prime Minister said during a visit to a farm in southwestern France that he would "put an end" to the rising cost of diesel for farm-machinery use as a consequence of the phasing out of tax breaks on the fuel.

Attal paid tribute to the country's agriculture sector this weekend, responding to the growing discontent of farm workers angry at red tape and high costs.

But his farming minister announced last Sunday that a package of reforms designed to meet some of the grievances of the nation's farmers had been postponed for fine-tuning.

A domestic challenge

Meanwhile another rising political star, Jordan Bardella of the far-right National Rally, declared his sympathy for the plight of the farmers.

They were, he said, sick of the strictures imposed by "Macron's Europe."

Attal, speaking at a public meeting in the central town of Saint-Laurent-d'Agny on Saturday, insisted that agriculture was "an absolutely major subject... that I take very seriously".

The nation's farmers had blocked roads at 77 spots around France according to the FNSEA. Its Paris region section and the Young Farmers (JA) has called for a blockade of Paris.

Hundreds of tractors were seen on motorways across Rennes and Nantes in the west of the country, halting traffic and demonstrating.

"We're totally fed up because we can no longer make a living from our profession," said Nathalie Posseme, a local Confederation Rurale union official.

"If people want quality food, they're going to have to pay for it," she added.

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