Adding to the chaos on French roads, taxi drivers staged their own protest movement on Monday against what they say is insufficient pay for the transport of patients by the French health services.
Their go-slow protests have started choking off motorways across the country, including the A13 leading into Paris.
Unité SGP Police union called on the “government to find the social fire extinguisher, to put out the fire to try and calm the situation” to prevent “other trades getting involved”, which would “paralyse the system”.
“We’re 5 months away from the Olympic Games, the eyes of the world are on France, and a social crisis that we couldn’t control would cast a bad impression on the rest of the world”, said Jean-Christophe Couvy, the union’s chief, on France Info radio.
The government has been trying to keep discontent among farmers from spreading ahead of European Parliament elections in June, seen as a key test for President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
During a visit to a farm on Sunday, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said more concessions would be forthcoming after the first batch was announced on Friday.
“I want us to clarify things and see what extra measures we can take” to meet farmers’ complaints that they face unfair competition, he said.
Some politicians accused the government of being too lenient with “militant” action that has included a government building near Carcassonne, southwestern France, having its windows blown out and a supermarket collapse under the weight of manure at a protest in Agen.
“Once you accept (violent) action by some, you shouldn’t be surprised if others start to follow suit”, said Stéphane Le Foll, former Socialist agriculture minister.
“Gérald Darmanin’s initial statements lacked rules and reminders of the rules”, he added.
The blockades could last until Thursday when a European Council summit will be held in Brussels.
Marc Fesneau, agriculture minister, said on Monday that Mr Macron would make a push for more pro-farming policies at the summit to address grievances shared by many farmers in the bloc.
Mr Fesneau added he would travel to Brussels this week to seek to soften EU rules on agricultural land that require 4 per cent to remain fallow under new green rules.
French farmers have complained this could hurt their businesses, and the government in Paris pledged to lobby on their behalf in Brussels.
France can expect “a difficult week”, said Mr Darmanin.