Farmers park tractors in Paris to protest Mercosur trade deal

Tractors are parked in front of the Arc de Triomphe during a demonstration of French farmers, in Paris on January 8, 2026. THOMAS SAMSON / AFP

French farmers rolled into Paris on tractors on Thursday, January 8, in a show of dissent against a free trade deal they fear will create unfair competition. Dozens of tractors arrived before dawn and cruised through Paris, with some reaching the Eiffel Tower and others at the Arc de Triomphe, in a protest organized by the Confédération Rurale (CR) union. "We said we'd come up to Paris – here we are," said Ludovic Ducloux, co-head of one of the union's chapters.

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Behind the farmers' crisis lies the specter of a democratic crisis

One of them bore the message "No To Mercosur," referring to a free trade deal with four South American nations. The EU-Mercosur deal would create the world's biggest free-trade area and help the 27-nation bloc to export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America.