European farmers are up in arms

The agriculture sector across Europe has brought the bloc’s countries to a standstill since the start of the year. According to the media, farmers in France, Germany and Romania, among others, have not only downed tools, but are using their farming equipment to blockade main roads and prevent access to some of the region’s busiest cities.

According to reports, most of the protest action was due to the cost-of-living crisis coupled with the EU’s sustainability policies. The Russia-Ukraine conflict had also compounded the struggles of the farmers.

According to the EU’s policy statement, the revamp of their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) stated that at least 4% of arable land needed to be devoted to non-productive features, and that farmers would be required to carry out crop rotation and reduce fertiliser usage by 20%. According to a farmer’s union based in Brussels, the sector was opposed to these measures, as the current CAP saw around 70% of its €55 billion (about R1,12 trillion) budget being spent on direct payments to farmers as a safety net.

The protesting farmers said these measures would make their produce less competitive than imports.

According to the EU, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had affected trade routes and resulted in the Black Sea being blocked.

The union said it had to temporarily lift restrictions on imports from Ukraine allowing its agricultural produce to flood European markets. This meant that farmers from Hungary, Poland and Romania struggled to sell their crops due to the availability of cheaper Ukrainian produce.

In Eastern Europe, farmers were protesting for the EU to revise its trade policy with Ukraine to the benefit of their respective industries.

Meanwhile, EU president Ursula von der Leyen said due to the situation, she hoped to convene a discussion between agriculture groups and EU decisionmakers. –

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Disgruntled German farmers protest over EU policies.