French farmers lift Paris blockade after government concessions

Farmers cook on a makeshift barbecue next to tractors parked outside the National Assembly in Paris on January 13, 2026, during protests called by the FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs unions as farmers pressed the government over trade, debt and farm policies. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN

French farmers began lifting their blockade of Paris early Wednesday after the government pledged debt relief measures and an emergency farm law, as protests driven by opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade deal continued elsewhere in the country.

Tractors from the FNSEA, France’s main farmers’ union, and the Jeunes Agriculteurs, which represents younger farmers, started leaving the capital around 4am after spending about 24 hours positioned near the National Assembly.