Dozens of arrests as French farmers block Arc de Triomphe

‌French farmers have staged a protest at Paris's Arc de Triomphe, as the pressure from the country's agriculture sector shows no sign of letting up.

More than 60 people were arrested, including a spokesperson for Rural Coordination, the farming union that organized the demonstration.

The Champs-Elysees, one of the most famous avenues in the world, was brought to a brief standstill after farmers dropped bales of straw in the road.

‌The protest began at 4am local time on Friday, as about 150 farmers in tractors and pick-up trucks parked on one side of the roundabout that circles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

"This was a small lightning operation before Paris woke up so as not to get in the way and with no intention of confrontation," said Jean-Pascal Mahoudeau, a cereal farmer. "[It was] simply to show that we're still here, that we're fed up of being taken for fools."

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‌The farmers have been railing against price pressures from retailers, high production costs - and they also say they are being undercut by cheap imports from Ukraine.

"First of all, what would be good is to compete on equal terms," argued Maximilien Vangeon, another cereal farmer. "With the Olympics coming, let's say we don't want anyone starting the race  10 meters in front of the others. We want to be sure of being on the same footing. 

"In other words, standards like the ones we have at the moment, as cereal growers, mean that we have to compete with Ukrainian cereals. Over there, there are no standards, we import without customs duties and, as far as I know, Ukraine is not part of Europe."

‌The demonstration came ahead of the final weekend of the Paris agriculture fair. Earlier this week, President Macron was booed and heckled as he attended the fair, which came amid weeks of demonstrations from farmers over red tape, cheap imports and fuel taxes.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has promised more financial support for farmers, a new law on prices, and changes to some pesticide rules to try to appease the sector - but the farmers' unions are continuing their demonstrations.

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