Germany: Farmers block roads to protest subsidy cuts

With signs displaying messages such as “No beer without farmers” and others praising the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, thousands of farmers blocked German roads with convoys of tractors and trucks. The workers are thus protesting the Government's plans to cut agricultural subsidies.

In the midst of sub-zero temperatures, and since before dawn on January 8, in Berlin, a line of dozens of tractors blocked the main avenue leading to the Brandenburg Gate.

Police indicated that roads and highway access roads are blocked in several places in the country, including different border crossings with France, which caused traffic jams during the morning rush hour.

Protesters say the Government's plans to end two tax breaks, which currently save them around €900 million a year, will seriously affect their work.

Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens party, whose return from holiday last week was interrupted by angry farmers trying to raid the ferry he was traveling on, warned in a video message that farmers' right to protest could be exploited. by marginal groups.

“Calls with coup fantasies circulate, extremist groups are formed and ethnic nationalist symbols are openly displayed,” Habeck said.

State premiers question withdrawal of subsidies

Leaders of several German states have called on the federal government to reverse its decision to cut diesel subsidies for agricultural workers.

The prime ministers of Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony and Saarland said Monday that the cost to those workers as a result of budget cuts by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition is “too high.” .

The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, told the local radio station 'ZDF' that agriculture has suffered a higher than average burden. He also noted that farmers face a double whammy with increasingly strict requirements in the fight against climate change.

For her part, the Prime Minister of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig, stated that it is not just about supporting farmers and that financial support for agriculture also serves to ensure that food remains affordable.

Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger told the Rheinische Post that farmers have no choice but to use diesel fuel for tractors “at least in the short term.”

Their statements highlight criticism of the measure from within the Government, since Weil, Schwesig and Rehlinger are members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left Social Democratic party.

Why is the German Government seeking to cut subsidies to farmers?

The Coalition Government was forced to find billions in savings in its 2024 budget after a court ruling in November gutted its previous spending plans.

But farmers argue that the burden of these cuts has fallen unfairly on them and have vowed to continue blocking major traffic and logistics routes for at least a week, saying the end of tax breaks will put farms out of business.

A survey carried out by the public channel 'n-tv' showed strong support from citizens for the protests: 91% of those surveyed stated that they are justified.

The reaction from farmers last week led Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to make unexpected changes to the budget, including modifying plans to cut agricultural subsidies.

Instead of abruptly ending farmers' tax exemption on diesel, the subsidy will be reduced by 40% this year, 30% in 2025 and will end from 2026.

However, farmers emphasize that this phased measure is not enough.

Despite the protests, a spokesman for the Scholz Administration said Monday that the Government is not considering any additional changes.

“In the end, a Government has to decide and lead the way and that may not always be satisfactory for everyone,” the spokesperson stressed.

The opposition AfD party, which hopes to make major gains in a series of state elections this year, is backing the protest.

“The German government is forgetting the many difficult consequences of its deindustrialization policy,” said an AfD spokesperson in a statement, adding that his party is “willing to take responsibility” in the interest of the people.

However, the president of the German farmers' association (DBV) has expressed concern that far-right activists could exploit the demonstrations for their own purposes.

The AfD has gone from being an anti-euro party, in the wake of the European debt crisis, to a major opposition force driven by anti-immigration rhetoric.

According to the latest weekly survey by the INSA pollster, that party currently obtains 23% of the votes, comfortably ahead of Scholz's Social Democrats and their two coalition partners: the Greens and the Free Democrats. The conservative Christian Democratic opposition has 31% of voters' support.