French Cerdanya Farmers Lift Pas de la Casa Blockades After Paris Deal

French farmers in Cerdanya have agreed to lift blockades at Ur and Tarascó, restoring access to Pas de la Casa after over a week of disruptions during the Christmas period.

Christian Tallant, spokesperson for the Cerdanya farmers, announced the decision late Friday following talks in Paris with Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The Ur blockade near Bourg-Madame will end Saturday midday, while the RN20 cutoff at Tarascó in Ariège—about 57km from Pas de la Casa—will reopen progressively over the weekend.

The farmers reached a preliminary deal to revise the cattle protocol for contagious nodular dermatosis, which mandates slaughtering entire herds upon detection. They demand targeted culling of infected animals only, alongside a second nationwide vaccination campaign in spring. A scientific committee will assess options Monday in Paris, with final approval slated for January 5. Tallant cautioned that blockades could resume if demands are ignored, with further protests planned against the EU-Mercosur deal ahead of its potential January signature.

Not all unions back the suspension. Ariège's Confédération Paysanne called the outcome vague, lacking firm commitments or timelines, and said it remains active at Tarascó.

Earlier Friday, tensions peaked as around 150 farmers from French and Spanish Cerdanya, deploying 60 tractors, fully closed Ur on RN20, RN320 and RN22 from 10am despite French pledges to Andorra to prevent escalation. Gendarmerie and Spanish Mossos d'Esquadra monitored without intervening. Tarascó protesters had set up tents for an indefinite stay.

Andorra's Foreign Affairs Minister Imma Tor conveyed "maximum concern" to French officials, including Occitanie's prefect and the ambassador, citing economic fallout in Pas de la Casa, stranded students and families, and service halts. Andbus Toulouse cancelled nearly 200 bookings, while freight firms like Catrans rerouted via narrow mountain paths such as RD20 (Corniches route) and RD123 (under 2.2m wide), shifting 85% of imports to Spain. Businesses described empty streets: one bakery sold only nine panettones from monthly stock; apartment manager Valérie Lackner reported Grandvalira booking falls, empty weekends and waived group no-shows. Encamp's Cònsol Major Laura Mas faulted French security for permitting the action, holding Andorra ransom in a domestic row. Tallant admitted leveraging Andorran pressure on Paris.

Traffic from France rerouted through Montlluís, Llívia and Puigcerdà to the Riu Runer crossing. French authorities urged restraint during school holidays, with intermittent issues on alternate routes. Andorra's government, facing limited influence, hoped for swift French action before peak festivities. France has delayed the EU-Mercosur signing, meeting a key demand.