Overview
- EU governments approved the long‑negotiated pact by majority, with France and Ireland opposed; a formal signing is slated for 17 January in Paraguay and the European Parliament must still ratify.
- French farmers blocked access to the port of Le Havre overnight and set up a small base camp to monitor food shipments, according to the Jeunes Agriculteurs union.
- In Ireland, large tractor convoys moved through Athlone as the Irish Farmers' Association urged MEPs to reject the agreement.
- Regional demonstrations were reported in Austria and Germany, including about 300 participants with roughly 120 tractors in Neusiedl am See and a smaller convoy documented by police in Unterallgäu.
- Protesters warn of cheaper South American beef undercutting EU producers and are demanding safeguards such as mandatory origin labeling and explicit EU guarantees for domestic agriculture.