Representatives from farming groups across Europe gathered in Brussels on Wednesday to voice their opposition and demonstrate solidarity against what they perceive as the European Union’s relentless assault on farming.
Farmers from Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France came together at the MCC Brussels event to protest against what they view as detrimental policies affecting their livelihoods.
The recent surge in protests against the EU’s anti-farmer stance reached a crescendo as French farmers took center stage in front of the European Parliament on January 24. Their grievances include tax hikes, escalating costs for fuel and animal feed, and what they describe as the unwarranted imposition of stringent EU directives that are suffocating farmers continent-wide.
In a note sent to Express.co.uk, Véronique Le Floc’h, President of Coordination Rurale, a French farming group, expressed the frustrations of French farmers.
She said: “French farmers are united in their opposition to absurd, extreme, and unworkable environmental policies dreamt up by the EU and zealously implemented by the Macron government.” Le Floc’h accused European elites of burdening farmers with increasingly demanding environmental regulations while seeking cheap imports from foreign producers who are not held to the same standards.
She further stressed the need for fair competition and called for an immediate halt to the signing of free trade agreements until a new approach to EU regulation is agreed upon. She added: “French farmers are determined to protect Europe against unfair competition and ensure food security for France and Europe, but the ideologically driven measures imposed by EU and French elites are making this impossible.”
Richard Schenk, research fellow at MCC Brussels and author of the report ‘The EU’s War on Farming’, also underscored the devastating impact of EU policies on agriculture.
According to Schenk, “The targets, directives, and laws adopted by the European Union – on nitrogen emissions, habitats policies, and carbon trading – are putting us on the road to the destruction of farming in Europe.” He warned of the closure of thousands of farms, especially small ones, and a significant threat to Europe’s food security and the existence of rural communities.
Echoing this sentiment, Helen O Sullivan from the Irish Farmers Alliance also highlighted the misinformation surrounding farmers and climate change.
She said: “Farmers are being blamed for everything when it comes to climate change. We, the farmers, are made out to be environmental terrorists due to misinformation being spread about us.” She criticised the EU’s orders to reduce organic nitrogen levels, a move that could force farmers to decrease their national herds, impacting their livelihoods and the nation’s food security.
Bart Dickens, President of the Farmers Defence Force Belgium, argued that the repercussions of EU policies extend beyond farmers. He warned that job losses, unaffordable and scarce food of questionable quality, and economic vulnerabilities would be the outcome. Dickens stressed the broader issue of government control, adding: “It starts with erasing agriculture, and then they will start restricting citizens’ freedoms.”
The farmers’ protest in Brussels follows similar demonstrations in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The common thread among these protests is a shared frustration with the EU’s stringent green policies, which many farmers argue are destroying the rural way of life. The fightback against the EU’s war on farming appears to be gaining momentum, with farmers across Europe calling for a reevaluation of policies that threaten their existence and the sustainability of agriculture on the continent.
