Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Farm protests continue


 Farmers continue to protest in Europe where the latest disruption is a blockade at the border between Poland and Germany.


They are also in Brussels, throwing eggs and bottles and parking about 900 tractors where agricultural ministers from across the European Union are meeting and promising to do more to cut red tape and help farmers.


The 27-nation European Union has already weakened some parts of its flagship Green Deal environmental policies, removing a goal to cut farming emissions from its 2040 climate roadmap.


But farmers are demanding more.


"We're here again in Brussels today as farmers because the European Union is not listening to our demands. Our demands are for fair revenue," said Morgan Ody, general coordinator of farming organisation La Via Campesina.


"We produce the food and we don't make a living. Why is that? Because of free trade agreements. Because of deregulation. Because the prices are below the cost of production. So we demand the EU to move on this."