Farmers' anger continues unabated. As announced following their talks with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, French farmers continued and intensified their mobilization on Thursday, January 8th. Action was taken all over the country.
In the Pyrénées-Orientales region, farmers met up at around 3 am at the Boulou and Perpignan Sud toll plazas. On the other side of the border, Spanish farmers were also protesting on the highway linking Spain and France, with traffic at a standstill.
France: Blockades at the Boulou and Perpignan Sud toll plazas
Some farmers' unions were protesting from 3 am at Perpignan's southern toll plaza, and others at Le Boulou. According to several local operators, the Boulou toll plaza was blocked in both directions. Vinci Autoroute confirmed that the Perpignan Sud exit (no. 42) on the A9 was closed.
For its part, Coordination Rurale of the Pyrénées-Orientales posted on Facebook that it would carry out "checks on imports at the A9 Perpignan Sud toll plaza."
Spain: 100 tractors on the AP-7
The mobilization also extended to the other side of the border. During the night, almost 100 tractors joined the AP-7 highway, which was cut off in both directions for about 30 kilometers beyond the Perthus border.
© Agència Catalana de Notícies
According to the Trànsit website, traffic came to a complete standstill, with almost 4 kilometers of traffic jams reported on the N-II between Bàscara and Vilademuls. Several Spanish media reported that more than 100 tractors were blocking both the AP-7 and the N-II at Pontos, in protest against the Mercosur agreement and planned cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
"The highway was cut off at Figueres in both directions, along with the main road," confirmed a Spanish operator.
ℹ️ El tall de l'AP-7 s'amplia fins a Vilademuls
- Trànsit (@transit) January 8, 2026
🔀 Desviaments en sentit nord per la sortida 47, amb 1 km de congestió
🔀 Desviaments en sentit sud per la sortida 28, amb 4 km de retenció
També hi ha 4 km d'aturades a l'N-II entre Bàscara i Vilademuls en sentit nord pic.twitter.com/8wLyRrXLZt
Paris: Farmers march to Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, and National Assembly
Despite bans and heightened security, farmers managed to enter the French capital early on Thursday morning. Symbolic actions were carried out at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and in front of the National Assembly. 
© CR47
According to several sources, police roadblocks were "bypassed and forced" during the night. A tractor made it all the way to Palais-Bourbon, accompanied by several hundred farmers gathered there.
The president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, offered to meet the union representatives at 2 pm on Thursday. An attempt at dialogue in the morning ended in failure, according to France Info. Le Parisien reported that FNSEA was calling for further demonstrations on January 20th in Strasbourg, if the Mercosur agreement were to be signed by the European Union.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, around 100 tractors were able to enter Paris on Thursday morning in response to a call from Coordination Rurale, which is denouncing the free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries. The government has warned that it will not "let this happen" ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/aVqTVOdgzy
- Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 8, 2026
© CR 86
Other actions were also underway across the country
📢🚜✊#DNC #AccordUEMercosur:
Conf from Bouches du Rhône, Vaucluse, Gard, and Hérault were mobilized. Blockade at the entrance of A9 highway at Lunel and interception of a truck 👇https://t.co/7Arh5CUJS8 pic.twitter.com/wkSZzv2It6
- Conf' Paysanne (@ConfPaysanne) January 8, 2026
