French farmers lift blockade of German, Spanish food lorries

French farmers furious over falling food prices stopped as many as 400 lorries bringing produce from Germany for several hours on Monday, as a similar protest took place near the Spanish frontier. The farmers later lifted the blockade near the German border after winning a meeting with France's agriculture minister but swore to remain on alert "as we wait for results."
"From now until the end of August, things will be happening," warned Franck Sander, local head of the FNSEA farming union, hinting that protests could be directed at large retail outlets. The farmers had set up checkpoints on six roads between Germany and France late on Sunday night with around 1,000 people and tractors. Sander said the aim was to turn back lorries he said were "transporting products that are distorting competition for us."
"For example, we made a lorry carrying Babybel (cheese) turn back. Consumers think this is French but the cheese comes from Slovakia," he said. Protesters also turned back several lorries laden with fruit and vegetables on their way from Germany. Other farmers have carried out similar actions stopping produce getting into France from Spain.
Around 100 farmers ransacked dozens of trucks from Spain on a highway in the south-western Haute-Garonne region, threatening to unload any meat or fruit bound for the French market. They used around 10 tractors to block the motorway not far from the Spanish border, causing traffic jams that stretched up to four kilometres (2.5 miles), Guillaume Darrouy, secretary general of the Young Farmers of Haute-Garonne, told AFP.
The action came after a week that saw farmers block cities, roads and tourist sites across France in protest at falling food prices, which they blame on foreign competition, as well as supermarkets and distributors. Farmers have dumped manure in cities, blocked access roads and motorways and hindered tourists from reaching Mont St-Michel in northern France, one of the country's most visited sites. Wary of France's powerful agricultural lobby, the government on Wednesday unveiled an emergency package worth 600 million euros ($660 million) in tax relief and loan guarantees, but the aid has done little to stop the unrest.