French growers are looking to expand their protest actions in an attempt to increase pressure on the government. Protesting farmers are once again blocking roads in France, parking their tractors on various highways. The main road to the port near Calais is blocked, and trucks heading to the United Kingdom cannot pass. Though, private people can, according to what the port tells the French news agency AFP. After over a week of protests, the growers threatened to advance toward Paris this weekend.
"I previously mentioned on this site that the strikes seemed to be becoming an annual event. Now it's happening again. It's quite unfortunate. I have seven trucks in Lyon that can't continue and now have to take the back roads, with all that entails," says Thomas Bos of the Spanish company Thomasol.
"The strikes are causing delays, but they're not yet blocking everything. By being more flexible, by, say, using our branches, we can still get everywhere. However, there are delays which, ultimately, cost money," observes Henk van Berkel from the Dutch company Primever Holland. "The advantage is that we often drive at night, and even the farmers have to sleep at some point. But if they shut down Paris and the market in Rungis, as is being suggested, we'll be in a much worse position."
"The strikes affect us quite considerably, even on our way to England, because we use the Eurotunnel," explains Marcel Visser from Freight Line Europe, another Dutch company. "So far, we've been lucky that the growers lift the strikes around six in the evening. Our goods only enter or pass through France later, but the strikes have impacted us all week, and Spanish products sometimes arrive late."
"The tricky part is you can't really plan. One day, one road is closed, and the next, it's a different one. Our drivers also find it hard to find safe parking spots. You want your drivers to sleep safely but must also comply with driving time regulations. Violations due to strikes keep impacting things longer if drivers are held up between," says Marcel.
"For now, we've managed to get through it," adds Marc Vreugdenhil from C. Vreugdenhil Int. Transport, also in the Netherlands. "We've had to take the random detour, often thanks to drivers who are excellent at spotting where the blockades are."
The fact that not everything is going smoothly is evident from the following video by a Spanish transporter:
henk.vanberkel@primever.com
Marc@cvreugdenhil.nl
info@thomasol.eu
mvisser@fle-nl.com