Protesters set tires on fire while Agriculture ministers met to discuss the crisis in the sector
Farmers protested in Belgium this Monday (26.Feb.2024) against EU (European Union) measures for the sector. During the act, protesters set tires on fire and, in response, police fired water cannons to contain the flames.
According to information from Reuters, around 900 tractors blocked part of the streets of Brussels, headquarters of the European bloc. Meanwhile, close to where the demonstrations were taking place, Agriculture ministers met to discuss the crisis in the sector.
Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks to demand action to lower the prices of their products and block free trade agreements. They argue that the high cost of environmental requirements coupled with competition from low-cost imports harm the profits of local producers.
The meeting between agriculture ministers focused on a new set of EU (European Union) proposals to ease pressure on farmers, including a reduction in agricultural inspections and the possibility of exempting small farms from some environmental standards.
German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir said the EU needs to ensure that farmers can benefit if they opt for biodiversity and green measures. He further says that the existing policy of the European Union is a “monster of bureaucracy”.
In response to the demonstrations, the European Union has already reduced some of its Green Deal environmental policies – eliminating, for example, the objective of reducing agricultural emissions by 2040.
The EU also withdrew a law to restrict pesticide use and postponed a target for farmers to leave some land fallow to improve biodiversity.
See videos of the protest below:
Farmers in Brussels break through barricades erected by the government to stop their protest and send Belgian riot police running.
That's enough. pic.twitter.com/Xr3gFxVcye— RoGeraldes 🇧🇷🌹🇱🇧 (@RoMRGe) February 26, 2024
Firemen, with riot police, put out the tire fire made by protesting farmers next to the EU offices in Brussels pic.twitter.com/JB9be6eeLN
— Leo Cendrowicz (@LeoCendro) February 26, 2024
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