Belgian Farmers Block Roads Protesting Against EU Policies

January 31, 2024 Hour: 7:26 am

On Tuesday, Belgian farmers stopped their tractors on highways and streets in protest of rising costs, unfair competition, European Union environmental restrictions, and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

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Farmers blocked access roads to the port of Zeebrugge in Bruges and brought 420 tractors to the streets of Namur. They will also stage a demonstration on Thursday, when European Union leaders will hold a summit in Brussels.

Late on Tuesday, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo met the farmers’ unions and promised to raise the issues with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He said the concerns will be also discussed by agriculture ministers in February

On Wednesday, farmers’ unions are expected to meet with Wallonia’s minister-president, Elio Di Rupo; the regional Agriculture Minister Willy Borsus; and the Environmental Minister Celine Tellier.

Just like in Germany and France, farmers in Belgium take to blocking roads in protest, demanding better pay and fewer restrictions pic.twitter.com/b9BP8qNy2B

— RT (@RT_com)
January 31, 2024

In response to widespread discontent among farmers in countries such as France and Belgium, the European Commission announced that it will approve a temporary derogation from European rules requiring some land to be kept fallow.

In this regard, the French Government had also demanded a new derogation from the obligation to leave 4 percent of the land fallow.

On Wednesday, European authorities will also extend the exemption of tariffs on agri-food imports from Ukraine, a measure adopted in 2022 that has caused complaints among European farmers due to the increase in Ukrainian products in local markets.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | In France, the National Farmers’ Union Federation has called to block the roads to the city of Paris, as part of their demonstrations for labor demands. pic.twitter.com/lCyX8fszOF

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
January 29, 2024