A WOMAN was killed and her husband and daughter seriously injured in France today after a car slammed into barricades put up by protesting farmers.

The car hit straw bales that demonstrators had placed across a road, hitting the three people before it came to a stop against a tractor’s semi-trailer.

It was not immediately clear if the crash was deliberate, and police detained the three occupants of the car for questioning.

National Federation of Agricultural Holder Unions head Arnaud Rousseau said: “In this moment of high tension, I call on everyone to stay calm and reasonable.”

Framers in tractors and trucks had expanded their roadblocks to the A7 motorway in southern France ahead of the crash amid their action for lower costs and fairer regulations and against pressure from retailers to bring down food costs and tightening environmental rules – a call echoed by workers across Europe.

Protests have been taking place for months, warning that they are struggling to make ends meet despite working long hours.

Protester Josep Perez told BFM TV at a roadblock in the south-western fruit-growing region around Agen: “We’re prepared for anything, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Video footage shared online showed protesters in Agen city centre throwing kiwi fruit at the local prefect’s office.

More protests are expected for the rest of the week after union talks with the government on Monday failed to reach an agreement.

President Emmanuel Macron’s government has put an agriculture Bill on hold, saying it wants to hear from farming representatives before including additional support measures.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, newly installed by Mr Macron in a reshuffle this month, wrote on social media that “being a farmer means working without respite.

“It’s working for us, for the French. We are and will remain at their side.”