French farmers protest at 'agri-bashing'

With slogans like "I produce, I feed, I die" - there was a touch of existential angst to a protest by French farmers on Wednesday (November 27), as hundreds of them drove their tractors into Paris.

Hardly surprising, they might say, when their existence is under threat.

Resentment has been growing over a long list of grievances:

Trade deals with EU and Canada that will usher in, they claim, cheap imports, new regulation banning glyphosate and restricting other pesticides, attacks on livestock and farms by vegan activists.

All amount to "agri-bashing", say farmers.

Victor Rabier is one of them.

(SOUNDBITE) (French) 29-YEAR-OLD FARMER, VICTOR RABIER, SAYING:

"This is a shout out from everyone, the whole profession, from cereal farmers to livestock farmers, the whole profession which today feels like it's been forgotten by the government and by Europe too. So yes the whole profession is crying out today."

As the biggest EU agricultural producer, France does in fact get the biggest share of EU subsidies.

Though negotiations over the next EU budget might see spending trimmed - as a result of Brexit.

And for the French government, it's bad news.

President Macron has already seen sustained and violent waves of demonstrations against his reform programme.

The so-called 'Yellow Vest' movement marked its first protest anniversary earlier this month.

Next month he faces a nationwide series of planned transport strikes.