Bulgarian Farmers Demand Compensation for Ukrainian War Effects

On Tuesday, hundreds of farmers blocked traffic in the streets of downtown Sofia to demand compensation from the Bulgarian government for the losses they are suffering due to the effects of the war in Ukraine.

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This new protest comes a day after the government and agricultural associations announced that they had signed an agreement regarding the issue, something that apparently does not satisfy all the farmers.

On Monday night, the signing of the document was announced by Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, and representatives from the Bulgarian Chamber of Agriculture, the National Association of Grain Producers, and the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders.

They thought this would put an end to several consecutive days of protests in which farmers blocked roads with heavy machinery for two hours each day.

According to the agreement reached, farms will receive the so-called "Ukrainian aid," which ranges from 2.5 to 10 euros per hectare depending on the size of the farm, with a maximum of 25,500 euros per company.

However, representatives of dairy, meat, fruit, and vegetable producers are against the agreement and gathered today in front of the government demanding much higher aid, of 100 euros per hectare, regardless of the size of the companies.

The protesters poured hundreds of liters of milk in front of the government building, and some of them tried to force their way into the premises but were blocked by the police, with no incidents or injuries.

The protesters, who also demand the resignation of the Agriculture Minister for spreading lies, accused Denkov of refusing to meet with them. However, he was outside Sofia visiting a power plant.

"The resignation of the Agriculture Minister is not a basis for negotiations. We reached a reasonable solution yesterday, and that's why we signed the agreement. If farmers have additional demands, let them articulate them properly, and then we can meet and discuss them," said Denkov.

Las week, the Bulgarian government stated that it is able to pay aids to farmers a total maximum value of 75 million euros. More agricultural protests are scheduled for tomorrow in different parts of Bulgaria, the poorest country in the European Union.