Why farmers plan to block A10 and A71 motorways in France this weekend
Action comes after the publication of a study on water usage
Drivers can expect to see tractors and other farming machinery blocking the A10 and A71 motorways near Orléans
Scharfsinn/Shutterstock
Farmers in France have announced plans to block the A10 and A71 motorways near Orléans (Centre-Val de Loire) over the third weekend of the Toussaint half-term school holidays, following the publication of a study on water usage.
The Young Farmers (JA) union says action will begin at midday on Thursday, October 30 and continue until the evening of Sunday, November 2.
“We are calling for the immediate suspension of HMUC studies, which do not comply with the law,” states a JA press release.
The most recent Habitats, milieux, usages et climat (HMUC) report was led by l'Établissement Public Territorial du Bassin de la Vienne (EPTB Vienne) and is awaiting validation by the Local Water Commission. It was partially funded by the State.
It confirms that the department’s water levels are declining and that irrigation (an automatic watering system supplying controlled amounts of water to land or crops) accounts for half of all withdrawals from the Vienne ‘basin’.
The report highlights the link between the impact of climate change and the importance of collective water-saving efforts and also seriously calls into question the current water management model, “under which the most significant withdrawals take place in the middle of summer, when resources are at their lowest and the environment is at its most vulnerable”.
Alternative water-stocking solutions could include controversial ‘mega-reservoirs’, and the restoration of wetlands.
However, farmers fear these scientific studies will be used as a basis for imposing reductions in irrigation withdrawals which could hinder the growth of agricultural crops.
‘Deadly’ government decisions
Farmer protests asking for fewer restrictions on water usage have been ongoing for over a year.
This weekend’s action in Orléans (Loiret) follows a mobilisation in front of amusement park Futuroscope (Vienne) and then on the nearby Poitiers ring roads on October 24.
In June, the farming union, alongside more than 300 agricultural organisations, sent an open letter to François Bayrou, the then Prime Minister. The letter warned against the socio-economic impact of HMUC reports, however “no concrete response was provided.”
In November 2024, almost all of France was affected by farmer protests including tractor roadblocks and demonstrations.
“The silence or defiance of the authorities shows disregard for the situation on the ground,” said JA Centre-Val de Loire president, Clément Carteron.
“If nothing is done, the biggest redundancy scheme in regional agriculture will take place,” reads the JA press release.
