Around 800 tractors have surrounded Paris after farmers pledged to begin a “siege” of the capital today.

Protesters, angered by EU red tape and environmental policies, are expected to establish eight chokepoints on major roads leading into the city.

The Young Farmers Group and the FNSEA, the country’s largest farming union, have previously warned they would impose “an indefinite siege of the capital”.

Gerald Darmanin, the Interior Minister, said 15,000 police officers had been deployed to prevent supermarkets and lorries carrying foreign produce from being targeted.

Armoured gendarme vehicles and helicopters have also been stationed south of the capital in Rungis, which is home to the world’s biggest fresh food market.

In recent days, farmers have seized shipments from Belgium, Spain and Poland, scattering them across the highway and setting fire to them.

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