Thousands of farmers blocked French roads on Tuesday

On Tuesday, large-scale farmers' protests broke out in France, with roadblocks, tractor convoys and demonstrations in various regions of the country, particularly in south-west France.

The main reason for the protests is the French authorities' measures to combat the tuberosity skin disease, where one animal has led veterinarians to order the culling of more than 200 cattle on a farm.

During the massive protests of recent weeks, French farmers have also raised other issues which they say directly affect the future of their farms: the lack of protection of the local market, the frightening future of the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the implications of the free trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc for agriculture as a whole.

As the live protest map shows, there are dozens of roadblocks, particularly in south-west France. They are marked with a red symbol.

The blue symbol marks the locations of farmers' protests. They are also concentrated in south-western France and in the northern regions of the country, where farmers are in solidarity with their colleagues in the south-west. It is there that the greatest outrage has arisen against the government's attempts to radically combat the tubercle.

Interestingly, France's largest farmers' organisation has not joined the protest. There is a certain fragmentation among farming communities in the country.