Farmers in France are protesting against the country’s agricultural policy. They stopped morning traffic in Paris, holding banners such as “Macron is killing farmers.”
They’re angry about a proposal from the Macron government to ban the controversial pesticide glyphosate, which is considered carcinogenic. The pesticide is used in Monsanto’s RoundUp weed killer.
French Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot talked to the protesters. The pesticide ban would be implemented “in a progressive manner — and methodically, not overnight,” he said.
According to AP, dozens of armed police were summoned to contain the protest.
Images showed around 250 farmers, lying down on bails of hay as they blocked traffic on Friday.
“Mr. Macron wants to be the world’s Mr. Clean, but he is the gravedigger of agriculture,” said Frédéric Arnoult, president of Young Farmers union, as quoted by The French edition of The Local.
