“We demand that the President clearly say no on behalf of France,” Arnaud Rousseau, leader of the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA), the main organization representing the sector, stated.

Rousseau underscored, in statements to BFM TV, the argument put forward by French farmers that the agreement between the 27-member bloc and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay lacks reciprocity.

French farmers will be part of this Thursday’s protest outside the European Parliament in Brussels, where thousands of people and hundreds of tractors from several EU countries are expected to attend.

The demonstration will coincide with a meeting of EU heads of State, including Macron, who warned on Wednesday that Paris would firmly oppose any attempt to impose the free trade deal with MERCOSUR.

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