French farmers clog highways with tractors

French farmers, who are notorious for their raucous demonstrations, hit the highways with more than 1,000 tractors — and a few cows — as they headed for Paris last week.

They are frustrated by falling prices and taxes.

A pan-European protest is expected today (Monday) in Brussels during a meeting of EU agriculture ministers.

They blame cheap imports and payroll taxes and earlier this year tried to block the border with Germany to stop imports.

Canadian Press reports that tractors spray-painted with "Anger" or "Enough Bureaucracy" clogged major highways into Paris and some later headed to Parliament.

Protest organizer FNSEA, France's largest farming union, said 1,733 tractors from around the country contributed to the show of force.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who is pushing for reforms in the farming sector, said he would meet with the FNSEA chief Thursday.

Their demonstrations are part of a larger debate over how to keep European farming globally competitive.

It must be genetic. French-Canadian farmers overturned chicken transports in Montreal when they were upset and they threw milk at Eugene Whelan when he was agriculture minister and standing on the steps to Parliament, trying to reason with the loudmouths.