Concrete barriers and barbed wire surrounded the European Union's headquarters on Monday, February 26, as farmers angry at red tape and competition from cheap imports drove their tractors into Brussels in a fresh show of force as the bloc's agriculture ministers met. Police carrying riot gear patrolled near barricades set up at the main entry points to the European Council building, where the 27-nation bloc's agriculture ministers were gathering. Scores of tractors adorned with flags and banners were ranked in lines, snarling city traffic.
Farmers dumped a trailer load of tires a few hundred meters from the European Council building, and police brought in water cannons before the piles of rubber were set alight. A few tractors forced their way through one barrier, sending officers scurrying. At the start of the month, a similar demonstration turned violent as farmers torched hay bales and threw eggs and firecrackers at police near a summit of EU leaders.
The protests are the latest in a series of rallies and demonstrations by farmers across Europe. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted with boos and whistles at the opening of the Paris Agricultural Show by farmers who claim that he's not doing enough to support them. Spain, the Netherlands and Bulgaria have been hit by protests in recent weeks.
The movement has gathered pace as political parties campaign for Europe-wide elections on June 6-9. It's already had results. Earlier this month, the European Commission shelved an anti-pesticide proposal in a concession to the farmers, which make up an important voting constituency.
On the other side of the barriers in Brussels, the ministers were keen to show they're listening. The EU presidency, currently held by Belgium, acknowledged that the farmers' concerns include the burden of respecting environmental policies, a drop in assistance from the bloc's agricultural subsidy system and the impact of Russia's attacks on Ukraine's grain supplies. "We hear, clearly, their complaints," said David Clarinval, Belgium's agriculture minister. Still, he urged them to refrain from violence. "We can understand that some are in difficult circumstances, but aggression has never been a source for solutions."
French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau told the few reporters who were permitted by police to enter the building that "there's a need to send signals immediately to tell farmers that something is changing, not only in the short-term, but also in the medium and long-term."
Irish Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said the priority must be to slash administrative red tape. The EU should ensure that policies are "straightforward, that they're proportionate and they're as simple as possible for farmers to implement," he said. McConalogue underlined that “we do respect the massively important work that farmers carry out every day in terms of producing food.”