'We will disappear': French farmers question impact of EU Green Deal

The recent EU elections have proven to be a pivotal moment for Europe's Green Deal, with many of those who won seats in the European Parliament vocally questioning the project. In France some farmers also criticize it, saying the EU and the French government must tackle their main problem: competition from outside the EU.‌

"The main challenge for farmers today is dealing with unfair competition," local farmer Antoine Pariset told CGTN. "For instance, our tomatoes cost us €4 ($4.28) per kilo to produce, while Italian tomatoes cost €2 ($2.14) per kilo. The competition between these two productions is not fair."

"The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies are not enough to compensate for the income gap. We will disappear, farmers will disappear, which is already happening," he added.

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Many other farmers protested about the right to fair competition in March. Some demonstrated for weeks over what they said were excessively restrictive environmental rules, competition from cheap imports from outside the EU, rising costs, and low incomes.

‌Thousands hit the streets with tractors, blocking main highways and threatening to enter the French capital, forcing the government to promise extra funding in the realm of over $400 million.

Some say the EU Green Deal is already doing precisely that in France, protecting farmland by eliminating pesticides while investing in the use of biomass and renewable hydrogen in energy and fuel production.

However, others believe that this initiative is headed in the wrong direction.

"The EU's message is not the right one. I was with farmers on the highways during the blockades in January and February in France," Mayor of Salles-Arbuissonnas en Beaujolais, Stephane Parisot told CGTN. "I met and talked with them, and what emerged is that the EU's rules are imposed without considering the on-ground realities, especially in France," he said. 

"The EU Green Deal doesn't account for farmers' constraints and tends to portray them negatively. We want the official to look in a different direction," he added.

And that direction from French farmers is protecting them from unfair competition.

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