2024-02-01 12:42:07
The protesters want this time to finally be heard that they are struggling
Farmers have blocked roads leading to the European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday, using about 1,000 tractors, Belgian police said.
A police spokesman told the French news agency AFP that “there are 1,000 tractors and other agricultural machinery”.
Angry farmers complain about taxes, rising costs, cheap imports, regulations and red tape. They hope their protests will make their voices heard at the summit.
Water cannons responded to the egg-throwing
Riot police stood guard behind barriers where EU leaders are meeting, just blocks away from the European Parliament building, surrounded by tractors, Deutsche Welle reported.
Some protesters farmers threw eggs at the parliament building while others set off fireworks and lit bonfires. Police responded by using water cannons, Belgian media reported.
A tractor displayed a banner reading: “If you love the land, support those who run it.” Another banner read: “No farmers, no food.”
Deutsche Welle’s Christine Mhundwa was at the European Council building when the leaders arrived for the special summit. She reported seeing about 1,000 tractors, adding that they had been there since the night.
Farmers have clear messages to European leaders?
Farmers say they are underpaid and that taxes and green rules are suffocating them as they face unfair competition from abroad.
“They have come to deliver a message to EU leaders and that is that their business is not sustainable. Farmers say they are experiencing price increases – the cost of their business has gone up by as much as €30,000 (roughly $32,400) per year,” says DW’s Mhundwa, pointing to rising prices for fertiliser, electricity and fuel.
Mhundwa adds that farmers are also concerned about the “ambitious” targets set by the EU to reduce carbon emissions, which have a direct impact on how they can operate.
“They came to send a message that this is difficult,” the correspondent sums up. She adds that the EU’s generous farm subsidies benefit larger farmers, while smaller farmers are the ones protesting in Brussels.
The pressure has led the European Commission to propose curbing imports from Ukraine and loosening some environmental regulations on fallow land, in an attempt to appease angry farmers. Protesters say it’s still not enough.
Farmers have held powerful protests over the past few weeks in EU member states including France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Germany.
Their move comes as the bloc prepares for elections this summer.
#farmers #food #tractors #advance #heart #Brussels