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Dozens Of French Farmers Dumped Manure, Garbage, Tires, And Cabbages Outside Emmanuel Macron’s Beach House In Le Touquet, On Friday December 19, 2025, Today, Displaying A Coffin With “No To Mercosur” To Pressure The European Union To Delay The Trade Agreement With The South American Block.
On Friday, December 19, 2025, dozens of French farmers turned the front of Emmanuel Macron’s beach house in Le Touquet, northern France, into a scene of revolt by dumping manure, garbage, tires, and cabbages in front of the mansion under heavy police surveillance. A coffin with the phrase “No To Mercosur” was placed in front of the residence of the president and Brigitte Macron, as a symbol of rejection of the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
The farmers’ protest in Le Touquet took place following a large demonstration of European farmers in Brussels, held on Thursday, December 18, 2025, which registered scenes of violence and led the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to inform that the EU-Mercosur agreement, initially scheduled to be signed on Saturday, December 20, 2025, during the Mercosur summit in Foz do Iguaçu, would be postponed to January, while producers are also demanding answers from the French government regarding a disease affecting the cattle herd.
Mountain Of Manure At Macron’s Beach House
According to participants, dozens of farmers gathered on the street in front of the Macron couple’s beach house this Friday.
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Under the watchful eyes of police positioned in the area, the protesters unloaded bags of manure, tires, cabbages, and branches next to the property, which remained under surveillance throughout the action.
For many farmers, bringing the protest directly to the president’s beach house is the most visible way to show the discontent of the French countryside with the direction of the trade negotiations.
From Brussels To Le Touquet, The Same Pressure From Farmers
A day before surrounding Macron’s house in Le Touquet, European farmers had participated in a large mobilization in Brussels against the EU-Mercosur agreement, which saw scenes of violence near the European Union institutions.
The tense atmosphere was carried by the French farmers to the northern French coast in an attempt to keep the issue at the center of the political agenda in Paris and Brussels, reinforcing the message that discontent extends beyond France.
EU-Mercosur Agreement Delayed After Message From The Streets
The agreement being discussed seeks to reduce or eliminate import and export tariffs between the European Union and Mercosur.
The European Commission finalized the text in December 2024 with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and the signing was scheduled for Saturday, December 20, 2025, during the Mercosur summit in Foz do Iguaçu.
Following the farmers’ protests in Brussels on Thursday, 18, Ursula von der Leyen informed European leaders that the agreement would not be signed on the expected date and that the decision would be postponed to January, a move driven by pressure from France, which also gained the support of Italy.
‘We Are Backtracking’, Say Farmers’ Representatives
For Benoît Hédin, from the agricultural union FDSEA, the act in front of Macron’s house is “symbolic” and is directly aimed against “current European policy”.
By linking the agreement with Mercosur to the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, a program that subsidizes European farmers, Hédin states that the sector risks seeing reductions in benefits as early as next year, leading him to conclude that “we are backtracking” on the guarantees offered to the countryside.
Fear Of Meat, Rice, Honey, And Soy From Mercosur
Among the main concerns of French farmers is the large-scale entry of meat, rice, honey, and soy from South America into the European market. According to them, Mercosur products follow less stringent production rules and therefore reach the shelves at lower prices.
“The products are imported without any regulatory restrictions and compete with us at prices that are impossible to match,” lamented farmer Marc Delaporte, adding that “we have been protesting for two years and nothing changes” in light of the lack of concrete responses from Brussels.
FNSEA Speaks Of ‘Checkmate’ And Rejects Concessions
Pressure is also coming from the FNSEA, the main agricultural union in France, which classified the delay in signing as “insufficient”.
In a statement on social media, the entity stated that “Mercosur remains a NO” and that, “to give checkmate to Mercosur,” farmers will remain mobilized even after the retreat announced by the European Commission.
And what do you think, are the French farmers right to make the EU-Mercosur agreement the main target of their protests?
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