Months of intense recruitment in many countries have culminated in the great European Farmers Revolt, which has seen mass protests, roadblocks, assaults on cheap, unregulated Ukrainian grain, port blockades, and an assault of the EU headquarters in Brussels, where agricultural workers sprayed politicians and police with liquid manure.
In late February, farmers in Belgium battled with police, pelting them with eggs and flares while spraying law enforcement with liquid manure. This was a new display of aggression, occurring as the agricultural ministers of the European Union convened to find solutions to the protestors’ complaints.
Reports showed farmers at the Paris Agriculture Fair chasing after French President Emmanuel Macron. The farmers yelled and booed the French leader and pelted him with expletives as they faced hundreds of law enforcement personnel inside the trade expo.
The EU executive has suggested twice that the so-called “green” regulations regarding crop rotation and fallow periods be overturned.
The 27 member states of the European Union and the European Parliament will receive the recommendations from the Commission, the EU’s executive body.
While maintaining their eligibility for payments from the EU’s agricultural budget, farmers would be given additional leeway to comply with environmental regulations, such as those pertaining to peat land preservation, water pollution limits, and soil erosion.
Reports show that farmers might get additional financial aid to promote biodiversity by designating a portion of their property as non-productive, such as planting trees.
Instead of rotating crops, farmers could try growing a wider variety. Some crops may not be subject to regulations.
Farms under 25 acres would not be required to comply with regulations or face fines, and exceptions might be made in bad weather.
According to a report, the EU’s political stance has shifted to the right. As the tractor demonstrations soared to the top of the political agenda, the EU gave in to several demands, and member states have as well. Excessive red tape, environmental regulations, and unjust competition from Ukraine have been the main points of criticism.
