A photograph taken on December 22, 2025, shows a tractor decorated with a French national flag blocking the A63 highway in Cestas southwestern France, during a farmers demonstration to protest against the government's mandatory culling protocol for cattle herds affected by lumpy skin disease (dermatose nodulaire contagieuse). ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, December 23, met with farmers' unions to discuss a controversial free trade deal and the government's handling of a cow disease that has led to protests and roadblocks.
French farmers have been fuming over a litany of issues, including a trade deal under negotiation between the European Union and South American bloc Mercosur, with any further decisions postponed to January.
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Lumpy skin disease: Farmers demand vaccines and reject culling
