Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Third farmer protest in Brussels demands fair pay and policy changes, as past protests saw clashes and property damage.
Farmers are scheduling another protest in Brussels on Tuesday 26 March – their third this year. The last activity resulted in clashes with police, traffic disturbance and destruction of public property. The International Farmers Association Via Campesina authorised the planned action on Friday. Soon after, Belgian farming federations FJA, FWA and FUGEA affirmed that they would also be partaking on Tuesday.
A “symbolic action” is planned for around 10:30 on Rue de la Loi, at the crossroads with Rue Guillaume le Taciturne. “This Tuesday, come and push farmers’ voices listened at the EU Council!” the FJA said.
Despite acknowledging some headway since the agricultural protests began, the organisation noted it is not enough. “We expect Europe to continue to shift in favour of the farming world.”
Farmers are calling for a sufficient response to their demands, mainly regarding fair remuneration and an end to free trade agreements.
This is the third time this year that farmers will take to the streets of Brussels with their tractors. The first such demonstration took place on 1 February when around 1,200 autos came to the capital. Protesters assembled largely on Place du Luxembourg in front of the EU Parliament and the European Quarter was closed off. The damage induced by protestors was relatively small regarding the scale of the protest.
Less than one month later on Monday 26 February, about 900 farmers travelled to Brussels en masse on the occasion of a discussion of the EU Council for Agriculture and Fisheries. The European Quarter once again ground to a standstill, and the protests quickly got out of hand.
Protesting farmers put fire to straw bales and tractor tyres on Rue de la Loi and Chaussée d’Etterbeek and police force in several locations were shelled by rioters with dung, explosives and oranges, as well as stakes and bottles. Tear gas was ultimately deployed.
Moreover, The rolling demonstrations had led to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, being bullied by furious farmers at the Paris agricultural fair, having upset leaders before European elections in June that are likely to make major gains for far-right populist parties.
Ministers were fulfilling to debate European Commission proposals to ease the pressure on farmers, including simplifying the bloc’s common agricultural policy by lowering farm assessments and exempting small farms from some green rules.
“We need something practical, something operational,” stated the French agriculture minister, Marc Fesneau, adding that while there was space for “adjustments within the current rules,” meeting some needs “would require changing the legislation”. Fesneau stated it did not matter whether the modifications were made before or after the EU parliament elections, but “what matters now is pushing forward. We need to set a goal, lay the foundations of a CAP that reassures people.”
Germany’s agriculture minister, Cem Özdemir, expressed the EU needed to ensure farmers could earn a fair living if they opted for biodiversity and environmental standards. He stated the average farmer “expends a quarter of their time at their desks” because of the EU’s “bureaucracy monster”. David Clarinval, the Belgian agriculture minister, expressed farmers’ objections had been “clearly heard” but encouraged them to refrain from violence, while the Irish agriculture minister, Charlie McConalogue stated the priority must be to slash red tape.
