TFleets of tractors, crap on the roads, blocked motorway entrances – Germany has seen widespread demonstrations these days. Farmers President Joachim Rukwied described it as broader than any other since the fall of communism. The farmers appear to be unusually united, not only against the agricultural diesel savings plans, but above all against what they see as a lack of appreciation and increasing requirements.
The protests seemed like a general reckoning with the traffic light coalition. Farmers last took to the streets in 2019, against stricter fertilizer regulations. Some successes were achieved, but after that it was quiet for a while. This time it's about fundamentals. No wonder that other professional groups are also mobilizing and that extremist fringe groups sometimes see points of contact.
Although farmers in Europe are demonstrating more frequently today than ten years ago, there is a long history of protest. The historian Ewald Frie emphasizes the long history of conflict between farmers and the state, starting in the 20th century and ending with waves of protest in the 1970s. At the end of the 19th century, national lobby organizations were founded that made farmers influential.
But the anger goes back even further to the Peasants' War 500 years ago. In 1524 the rural population rebelled against the clergy and nobility. Although the situation is hardly comparable, Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Kretschmann sees general parallels to today. “The goals and values associated with the Peasants’ War, such as civil liberties and co-determination, have lost none of their relevance.”
French farmers don't want climate action
The partial withdrawal of austerity plans for farmers after the protests shows the influence of the agricultural lobby in this country. A similar picture can also be seen in France, where farmers cannot complain about a lack of political support due to generous EU agricultural subsidies and extensive tax breaks for agricultural diesel. At almost 9.4 billion euros annually, they recently received the highest EU agricultural subsidies. And yet France's agriculture sector, still the largest in Europe, is struggling with a decline in competitiveness and a futile effort to find successors.
Here too, dissatisfaction with bureaucracy and environmental regulations regularly leads to nationwide farmer protests, most recently against agri-environmental and climate measures as well as organic farming. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture promised to increase funding by 150 million euros. Although the French government maintained the announced cut in tax benefits for agricultural diesel, it abandoned the planned increase in taxes on the sale of pesticides and a fee for irrigation – under pressure from the farmers' lobby.
The French reservations about competition from Latin American beef, poultry, but also grain and sugar manufacturers show how great their influence is. The Mercosur free trade agreement is still not ratified, which French government officials also justify with the protection of domestic agriculture.
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