The agricultural mobilization that began at the start of the year shows no signs of weakening. This Wednesday, January 7, despite prefectural bans on tractor convoys in many regions, protests continued across the country. Roadblocks, blockades of strategic routes, and departures for the capital punctuated a protest fueled by several fronts: rejection of the free trade agreement with Mercosur, denunciation of the European Common Agricultural Policy, and criticism of the government's handling of the contagious lumpy skin disease affecting livestock. Following further consultations at Matignon, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised "concrete" announcements by Friday. This prospect was deemed insufficient by the Rural Coordination, which maintained its call for a large rally in Paris on Thursday, despite the travel restrictions. Its president, Bertrand VenteauHe stated that the farmers intended to reach the capital "one way or another" in order to make their demands heard.
Convoys heading towards Paris, roads blocked in the regions
Since the beginning of the week, several convoys have left southwestern France and other regions, converging on Paris. Farmers from Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Gironde, and Pyrénées-Atlantiques have taken to the roads, sometimes at night, to avoid checkpoints. Others have chosen to park their equipment near major roads or organize relays to prevent their tractors from being impounded. In Drôme and Ardèche, around fifty farmers have also headed for the capital, while departures have been reported from Vienne, Deux-Sèvres, Alpes-Maritimes, and Corsica. Meanwhile, the pressure on local infrastructure remains high. In Occitanie, several major roads remain closed, notably the A64 at Carbonne, the N124 in Gers, and the A75 in Lozère. Rail traffic was even interrupted between Auch and L'Isle-Jourdain after obstacles were placed on the tracks. In the Gard department, a checkpoint remains in place at the A54 motorway exit near Nîmes, where foreign trucks were being inspected near major retail distribution centers. In Montpellier, a mass march to the departmental council headquarters is planned.
In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, blockades are also increasing.
South of Lyon, the M7 is blocked at Pierre-Bénite, while in Isère, roadblocks remain near the A51 and at the border with Ain. In Drôme, the protests are now concentrated around Tain-l'Hermitage. Further north, in Burgundy, the Beaune Sud and Til-Châtel toll plazas remain closed, illustrating the movement's geographical spread. In Hauts-de-France, several hundred farmers are expected to converge on the center of Amiens, while in Normandy, some blockades have been lifted to allow delegations to travel to Paris. In Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Grand Est, delayed actions have been announced for the coming days, often deliberately kept discreet to maintain an element of surprise. This gradual hardening of the movement reflects a marked loss of confidence in the institutional responses. For many farmers, the government's expected announcements must go beyond mere pledges and address the structural causes of the crisis. Otherwise, the prospect of a stalemate, or even an escalation of the conflict, remains very real in rural areas as well as on the outskirts of major cities.
