Angry farmers block Brussels again, urge fix to ‘unfair’ prices

But their violence is “counterproductive” in terms of the image and the impact on the world of agriculture, he also said. “It is not the way of negotiating and it is unacceptable no matter whether is farmers, football hooligans or the Covid protest[ers].”

It’s the second time in less than a month that farmers from different EU countries have entered the Belgian capital to call on the EU to act against “unfair” competition and prices.

But this time the protesters went further and were more violent, setting fires and confronting police with glass bottles, eggs and small explosives, which prompted law enforcement officers to use water cannons and tear gas.

Monday’s protest follows weeks of demonstrations across Europe in which farmers have expressed their concern and anger over what they say are rising production costs, insufficient subsidies, stricter environmental regulations and the influx of cheaper agricultural imports from third countries facing fewer such obligations.

“Farmers are angry because we work hard, we produce the food that people need, and we don’t make a living,” Morgan Ody from the organisation La Via Campesina, told EUobserver, noting she earns half the minimum wage in France every month.

“If I want to make a living, I need Europe to make it compulsory for the people who buy my production to pay a fair price,” she said.

All the streets leading to Schuman were blocked with tractors carrying banners with messages such as ‘Notre Fin Sera Votre Faim’ [Our End Will Be Your Hunger] or ‘Si vous aimez la terre, soutenez ceux qui la gerent’ [If You Love Earth, Support Those Who Run It].

And the farmers were joined by supportive civilians like Marjolein, who teaches ecology and farming systems at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB).

“We are losing our food base, because who wants to work for five or six euros an hour? Who wants to do a job that is not recognised for its real value?” she told EUobserver. “The problem is also that it’s not attractive to work as a farmer and the government is not doing anything to make it attractive again,” the professor added.

In the EU, the average age of a farmer is 57 years old, EU agriculture commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told a press conference after the meeting.

Proposals and more proposals

On Monday, EU agriculture ministers discussed a proposal from the EU commission to cut red tape for the sector and simplify obligations under the CAP that farmers must comply with to receive funds.

“We understand that we have to provide solutions on all these different aspects, the CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] but also issues outside the CAP,” Clarinval said, referring to the bureaucracy related to the Green Deal or the impact of the war in Ukraine.

But the commission proposal is “not enough” for European ministers, Clarinval added, calling on the commission to put forward extra measures to respond to farmers’ complaints.

The Belgian presidency has gathered more than 500 suggestions from member states to ensure greater flexibility for farmers.

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And farmers’ associations agree that simplification of rules is insufficient to ensure a decent income.

“The EU has responded to the demands of the big agro-industry and the corporate sector,” argued Ody, clarifying that not all farmers are calling for an end to environmental policies, but for further support during the green transition.

In recent years, the farming and food sector has been successively affected by the pandemic, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine — which has increased costs of production for farmers who are facing increasing regulations and administrative burdens.

Simultaneously, climate change has increased the risks of floods and droughts, undermining the industry especially in warmer countries like Spain.

Over the last month, the EU has already withdrawn legislation to reduce pesticides, introduce CAP derogations and weakened some elements of the Green Deal in response to the protests, such as removing a target to cut agricultural emissions from its 2040 climate roadmap.

European challenge

“We are facing a European challenge to which we must respond with a European solution,” said Spanish agriculture minister Luis Planas before the meeting, calling on the commission to go beyond the current proposal.

Planas also talked about the need for a new ‘Great Deal’ focus on farmers and rural areas to bring farmers closer to the transition process that agriculture must undertake in the upcoming years.

Likewise, Irish agriculture minister Charlie McConalogue also said that the EU must ensure that the funds of the new Common Agriculture Policy are “increased and strengthened” and that policies are “straightforward, proportionate” and as simple as possible for farmers to implement.”

The current CAP — which runs until 2027 and eats up about one-third of the EU budget — aims to support farmers and rural development.

The income of farmers has seen steady growth over time. But the total number of farms in the EU has been in steep decline for decades, due to a tendency towards consolidation, according to Eurostat.