Making good on their promise of further action last week, Southern French farmers, irate at declining profits, have attacked lorries carrying Spanish goods into France. Although the effects of the E.Coli crisis continue to make life difficult for producers throughout Europe, the French farmers are angry that retailers in the country continue to import lower priced goods from elsewhere in Europe.

Spanish producers have cut prices drastically in an effort to recoup losses caused by the E.Coli crisis (in the early days of the crisis the German government mistakenly blamed Spanish fresh produce for the outbreak), meaning that prices for Spanish fruit and vegetables are up to 40 cents lower per kilo than their French equivalents; farmers in both countries say the amount of compensation offered by the EU is inadequate.

Claude Rossignol, a senior union representative has made an effort to defend the farmers’ actions. M Rossignol, president of a regional FNSEA (agricultural union) group, said that many farmers did not know what to do in the face of rising input costs and plummeting ex-farm prices. He said the farmers felt that Spanish producers had undercut them, explaining, “They don’t know how they will get through this. They have families to feed, there is a whole section of society that is at risk of disappearing.”   

Police stood by on Thursday (11th August) while farmers, who descended on a toll gate on the A7 autoroute, emptied nectarines, peaches and pears onto the road. As well as staging actions such as these, which have been ongoing for weeks, the French producers have called upon the government to grant them emergency aid. The government has yet to respond.