Following the government’s new announcements at midday, angry Sarthois farmers decided to lift their last motorway blockades this Thursday. After several days of action marked in particular by a “historic” mobilization on the Le Mans ring road on January 26, the majority agricultural unions are calling for “other forms of action”.
The essential
- After the lifting of the Maresché and Ecommoy roadblocks on the A28 on Wednesday evening, there remained two assembly points this Thursday in Sarthe: Joué-en-Charnie (A81) and Connerré (A11). These blockades are expected to be lifted at the end of the day.
- The FDSEA of Sarthe judges the government announcements “interesting” and leaves 15 days to discuss their implementation
- Earlier in the day, new operations were carried out in front of supermarkets, as well as certain agri-food companies in Sablé-Sur-Sarthe.
Gradual lifting of roadblocks on highways
As of early Thursday morning, there were neither demonstrators nor tractors at the toll gates of Maresché and Écommoy, on the A28. That of the A11 near Connerré, in the Paris-Le Mans direction, was still in place at midday, but had to be lifted in the afternoon. “We are cleaning the tracks”explained one of the farmers present on site to France Bleu Maine.
In Joué-en-Charnie, after extending the blocking of the A81 to both directions of traffic (Le Mans-Rennes and Rennes-Le Mans), the farmers also had to leave camp by the end of the day, according to an FDSEA official contacted by France Bleu Maine.
New forms of action
The new government measures unveiled Thursday noon by Gabriel Attal are judged “interesting“by farmers, according to Denis Pineau, president of FDSEA 72. The union now wants”to study“these measures and”work them with the administration” with a view to their implementation. According to our information, a meeting is also planned this Friday in Sablé with managers of the LDC poultry group on the subject of foreign raw materials used by the manufacturer for certain preparations.
New operation in front of supermarkets and agri-food companies in Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Contacted by France Bleu Maine, Benoît Ragaigne, president of the FDSEA in the canton of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, explains that nearly 90 tractors went to dump branches and tires in front of the Leclerc store in the town, then the Carrefour and the agri-food companies of the commune: LDC and Charal. This is what Julie Hurissse, the editor-in-chief of Actu Le Mans and Nouvelles de Sablé, observed on site on X (Twitter).
The operation has ended around 7:30-8 a.m. in front of Leclerc. At the end of the morning, cleaning operations were still underway, according to our reporter on site.
In front of the entrance to Leclerc de Sablé-sur-Sarthe, rubble left by angry farmers. © Radio France – Jean-Michel Nagat
The Leclerc d’Arçonnay car park occupied
Demonstrators occupied the parking lot of the Leclerc supermarket in Arçonnay, in northern Sarthe, in the suburbs of Alençon, all day Thursday. The supermarket and its gallery remained closed to the public. The day before, farmers had entered the store and found products that did not meet their wishes of French origin. Producers carried out similar operations on Wednesday in Beaumont-sur-Sarthe and La Flèche.
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