Skip to playerSkip to main content
  • 6 weeks ago

Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English

Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en

Category

🗞
News
Transcript
00:00Oysters and barbecue on the A64 motorway.
00:04French farmers host their Christmas feast by a bonfire, as they continue to protest against
00:10the government's cattle culling policy to contain the spread of lumpy skin disease.
00:15After more than 10 days of blockades, the farmers are still standing their ground, even
00:20hosting a Christmas mass under a bridge with their families joining them.
00:25My husband has been here for almost 15 days and I came to join him with the children
00:31to spend a bit of time together and celebrate New Year's Eve.
00:36I don't think it's ever been seen before, having New Year's Eve on a motorway under a
00:41motorway bridge.
00:42Well, it's a bit cold, I won't lie, but you see, we're getting ready, putting up windbreak
00:47nets to be a bit more sheltered.
00:52Since mid-December, farmers have been blocking key roads in France and dumping garbage and
00:56manure outside government offices to pressure the authorities to review their mass slaughter
01:01policy.
01:02They were further angered over an EU-Mercosol trade deal under negotiation.
01:09Despite a cattle vaccination campaign in full swing in southwest France, cases of cows being
01:14slaughtered are still ongoing, further fueling farmers' outrage.
01:19Recent warnings to clear roads for the Christmas holidays have been ignored, as the farmers
01:23vow to stay in their camps until the culling policy is abolished.
01:28Since the appearance of lumpy skin disease on French soil last summer, the government has
01:32fought the virus with a three-pronged strategy, immediate slaughter, mandatory vaccination and
01:38strict movement bans.
Comments

Recommended