French farmers bring tractors to Paris to press for looser rules

Tractors are parked in front of the French parliament, the Assemblee Nationale, as French farmers gather for a protest to call on lawmakers to adopt a bill that would loosen restrictions on pesticide and water use in farming, in Paris, France May 26, 2025. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

PARIS (Reuters) - French farmers disrupted highway traffic around Paris and rallied in front of parliament with their tractors on Monday, protesting against amendments filed by opposition lawmakers to a bill that would loosen environmental regulations on farming.

The draft legislation proposes simplifying approvals for breeding facilities and irrigation reservoirs and re-authorising a banned neonicotinoid pesticide used in sugar beet cultivation that environmentalists say is harmful to bees.