New farmers’ protest in Brussels doesn’t cause major disruptions

A new farmers' protest in Brussels, organised by the European Milk Board, took place in a peaceful atmosphere. Accompanied by plastic cows, the protesters marched in procession in Brussels' European Quarter, out of dissatisfaction with the EU’s agricultural policy. About a hundred people took part.

The umbrella organisation of European dairy organisations, European Milk Board (EMB), set up the peaceful protest to call for better remuneration for the European agricultural sector. The Brussels police had initially expected major traffic disruptions, as was the case with previous farmers' demonstrations. However, there were no large numbers of tractors present this time, nor rioting farmers, so the protest didn’t cause any major disruptions to residents or traffic.

The demonstration started at noon on Brussels' Place du Luxembourg. Accompanied by plastic cows, ​ the protesters moved to the Council of the European Union building on Rue de la Loi, where a meeting of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries took place. At around 3 pm, the farmers returned towards Place du Luxembourg.

The European Milk Board is denouncing the "neoliberal" European agricultural policy, according to its president Kjartan Poulsen. In the run-up to the European elections, the organisation is demanding a structural reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

“To give farmers, especially young ones, a perspective for the future again, there must be a structural reform of the agricultural policy,” Poulsen stated. "We no longer want farmers to depend on subsidies to survive, but need a system that can let us live off the market."
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​European policymakers should commit to general price regulation of the agricultural sector and their products, stated the EMB. These should no longer be sold below production costs, preventing farmers from making a living. Additionally, farmers' organisations should also be "heavily involved" in the design and implementation of the European Green Deal.

^{Protest of European Milk Board in Brussels © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE}