Reduce Red Tape, French Farmers Demand, in Paris Tractor-Protest

French farmers rode into Paris on tractors Monday and blocked highways around the city in an attempt to persuade the parliament to pass a bill to loosen restrictions on a risky pesticide they say hurts their competitiveness, France 24 reported. 

On Monday, French lawmakers discussed a bill to allow the reintroduction of acetamiprid, a pesticide banned in the country for harming bees but legal in most of the other European nations. 

Farmers say they need these pesticides to protect their crops and that without them, they are at an economic disadvantage compared with farmers in other nations. 

Farmers parked their tractors in front of the National Assembly while lawmakers debated the bill. The left and the Greens have filed over 3,000 amendments to stall the vote, arguing that acetamiprid is a neurotoxicant dangerous for humans as well as bees. 

Last month, thousands protested against the return of the pesticide, banned since 2018. 

Farmers said their protest was also to show support for legislation that would simplify the process for getting permission to build breeding facilities and create irrigation reservoirs, according to Politico. 

The demonstrations mirror massive protests last year in which farmers demanded a reduction in the bureaucratic hassles they face.  

Protests are expected to continue until Wednesday.