French farmers on Friday blocked one of the most important highways in France, the A1 – the connection between Paris and Lille, to Belgium or England; Columns of stopped cars formed several kilometers long, reports the Reuters agency, quoted by Agerpres.

Protest of French farmers on the A1 highway to ParisPhoto: Christophe Ena / AP – The Associated Press / Profimedia

Local farmers’ unions have called for road closures in and around Paris to increase pressure on the government, which they accuse of not doing enough to help them amid low food prices and excessive regulations.

Several convoys of tractors are expected to paralyze traffic around the capital in the afternoon, just before Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is to address the farmers’ demands in a speech.

The regional branch of the FNSEA trade union plans to set up 11 roadblocks on major routes used by commuters around Paris, including the A6, A10 and A13 motorways, according to a planning document seen by Reuters.

According to the specialized online service of the Ministry of Transport, in the morning the traffic jam on A1 stretched for about four kilometers.

The French press reports that farmers set up roadblocks in the Essonne department south of the capital in the early hours. The government announced that it would announce immediate measures to reduce tensions on Friday. It is not yet known when Attal will speak and what decisions may be made.