French farmers drive 350 tractors to Parliament to protest low incomes and EU trade deal

PARIS (AP) — French farmers steered some 350 tractors Tuesday over cobblestoned Paris avenues toward Parliament to protest low incomes and an EU trade deal with South America that they fear threatens their livelihoods.

Escorted by police, the tractors tangled rush-hour traffic as they rumbled down the Champs-Elysees and other Parisian avenues, and then over the Seine River to reach the National Assembly.

Farmer anger in France and other European countries has escalated over a rash of challenges recently. The unions leading Tuesday’s protests said they are demanding ″concrete and immediate action″ to defend France’s food security.

French farmers say their earnings are being squeezed by rising costs for fuel, fertilizer and animal feed, as well as by what they describe as heavier environmental rules and price pressure from powerful retailers and food companies.

And like farmers across the European Union, the French farmers have long denounced the EU's planned trade deal with the Mercosur nations of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.

They argue the deal would flood the market with cheaper imports of South American beef, poultry, sugar and other farm products produced under different standards, undercutting European producers and driving prices down further.

French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on TF1 television Tuesday that the government would make new announcements soon to help farmers.

President Emmanuel Macron and his government also oppose the EU-Mercosur trade deal, which has been under negotiation since 1999.

But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to sign the deal in Paraguay on Saturday, after a qualified majority of EU member states backed it last week.

Then it goes to the European Parliament, which starts a months-long approval process next week. Many of the 720 European parliament members support the deal, but the final vote may be close and the legislature could eventually reject the deal.

Associated Press journalist Sylvain Plazy in Brussels contributed.

Farmers drive their tractors down the Champs-Elysees avenue as they protest over the Mercosur trade deal Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. Banner reads: Mercosur, death for sure. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Farmers drive their tractors down the Champs-Elysees avenue as they protest over the Mercosur trade deal Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. Poster reads: Macron traitor. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Farmers drive their tractors down the Champs-Elysees avenue as they protest the Mercosur EU trade deal with South America they fear threatens their livelihoods, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. Poster reads: Macron, we arrive. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Farmers protest by the National Assembly as they protest against the Mercosur EU trade deal with South America they fear threatens their livelihoods, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. Banner reads: the peasant revolt resumes. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

Farmers drive their tractors by the Arc de Triomphe as they protest over the Mercosur trade deal Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 in Paris. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)

ATLANTA (AP) — Bags of ice-thwarting salt aren’t usually a hot item at Bates Ace Hardware in Atlanta, but store manager Lewis Pane sold all 275 he had in stock in one morning as residents braced for a major storm to deliver heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain on a broad section of the U.S. in coming days.

Payne said he had 30 online orders for “ice melt” before 8 a.m. People sprinkle the salts on the ground before a storm to disrupt the formation of ice.

“It’s impossible to get right now,” Payne said. “We have had to make special trips to our warehouse to pick up extra items because people need them.”

The storm was expected to hit starting Friday, stretching from New Mexico to New England and across the Deep South. The damage could rival that of a major hurricane.

Meteorologists say ice may linger on roads and sidewalks because temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas. Ice could also weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages.

The city of Carmel, Indiana, canceled its Winter Games out of fear residents could get frostbite and hypothermia competing in ice trike relay and “human curling” in which people slide down a skating rink on inner tubes.

College sports teams moved up or postponed games, and the Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event.

The coldest windchills may fall below minus 50 Fahrenheit (minus 46 Celsius) across the Northern Plains with subzero wind chills reaching as far southeast as the Mid-Atlantic states and Southern Plains, the National Weather Service said.

At the Atlanta hardware store, Wendy Chambers stopped by to pick up batteries and flashlights in case there is a power outage.

“We’re gonna be prepared, aren’t we? We’re going to be able to read, do things, play games,” she said before heading to church choir with her granddaughter.

Oklahoma truck driver Charles Daniel planned to load up as much freight as possible before the storm arrives in his area on Friday.

“You’ve got to be very weather aware, and real smart about what you’re doing,” said Daniel, who delivers goods across western Oklahoma in an 18-wheel tractor-trailer.

“You can’t back down into decline docks, you can’t go into neighborhoods or parking lots,” Daniel said. “I’m 40,000 pounds unloaded. One mistake can literally kill somebody, so you have to use your head.”

He said truck drivers need to have a change of clothes, plenty of water and a couple of jackets on hand in case they get stuck because it would be a while before a tow truck could help them.

In Arkansas, the Department of Transportation started treating some roads with brine on Tuesday. The salt helps prevent ice from forming. Over 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow were expected in parts of the state.

Rain was complicating efforts to pretreat roads with salt in Alabama on Wednesday because precipitation washes away the brine. The Alabama Department of Transportation encouraged people to stay off the roads if ice forms.

“Any amount of ice is pretty dangerous, and certainly a quarter-inch could be very hazardous,” said Seth Burkett, a department spokesperson.

Snow and icy conditions were forecast for Maryland beginning Saturday afternoon or evening, with peak effects Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The governor declared a state of preparedness to help authorities respond quickly.

Governors in North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency, making it easier for state and local agencies to coordinate and get help from groups like the National Guard.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press writers Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

Ice forms on a pier along Lake Michigan ona. cold Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

A loaf of bread sits on empty shelves in the bread isle in grocery store ahead of winter weather, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A digital billboard along Highway 75 warns of road preparations for upcoming inclement weather expected in the region Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

A shopper buys groceries Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn., ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the state over the weekend. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)