French farmers' unions lift road block after govt offers new aid

PARIS -- Two major farmers' unions in France called for road blockages to be suspended Thursday afternoon, after the government offered more aid and support.

"We have been heard on a certain number of points," Arnaud Rousseau, president of the national agricultural union (FNSEA), told a press conference.

President of the Union of Young Farmers Arnaud Gaillot said: "Given everything that has been announced, we need to change the form of our actions. We therefore call on our local offices to end the blockades and move on to another form of protest."

Hours earlier, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and the country's ministers of economy and agriculture presented a series of measures to appease the farmers. Over the last week, farmers protesting over low incomes, heavy regulation and unfair competition from abroad have surrounded Paris and other major cities with tractor barricades.

Attal announced that France's Ecophyto plan, aimed at reducing the use of pesticides, will be halted, reworked and simplified. This addresses one of the farmers' main complaints, that France imposes stricter regulations on pesticide products than other countries.

The government has promised a package of 150 million euros ($162.93 million) in tax and social support for livestock farmers, in addition to a package of 80 million euros announced Wednesday to support wine producers. It has also pledged to better combat fraud, with reinforced checks on product origins.