European farmers protest on tractors in Brussels
Thousands of tractor-driving European farmers have descended on the Belgian capital Brussels to express their anger over economic problems in the agricultural sector.
Organizers said at least 6,000 farmers on tractors gathered in front of the EU headquarters on Monday, where the union’s agricultural ministers are discussing ongoing farming crisis.
Latest reports indicate that the farmers are currently blocking traffic in and around the city.
Meanwhile, violence erupted when protesters threw stones, eggs and firecrackers at officers, and used tractors to break through a cordon in the area.
The security forces also attacked the protesters shortly afterward, using water cannons to disperse the crowd. At least one police officer was injured in the fierce clashes with protesters.
The farmers have been calling for more direct financial help from their governments and also voiced their disagreement with cheap imports from outside the European Union.
Heinz Thorwarth, a farmer from Fuchsstadt, southern Germany, showed his displeasure over falling milk and meat prices.
"The milk price is under or around 28 cents [per liter, about 0.2 gallons]. And this is not enough even to cover the costs," he said.
Farmers say they have also been hard-hit by a Russian ban on European food exports amid ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.
"Farmers and the agricultural cooperatives are not responsible for this crisis between the EU and Russia," EU farming union Copa Cogeca vice president Antonia Figueirdo said. "The farms are paying too high a price because of the Russian embargo."
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The farmers’ incomes have also plunged due to drought in Europe and slowing growth in China. The European farmers are facing a dire situation in the dairy, pork, beef, fruit and vegetable sectors.
Figures show a large number of farmers are facing bankruptcy across the European Union.
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