Similar protests continue across Europe
Europe is seething with angry Nongshim. In France, the largest agricultural country in the European Union (EU), farmer protests began on the 18th of last month and continued for more than two weeks, with major roads occupied by farmers’ tractors. Similar protests are continuing in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Poland. They are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the EU’s strengthening of environmental regulations, expansion of imported agricultural products, and rising production costs due to high inflation, and are determined to maintain long-term protests until policy correction is achieved.
According to the BBC, about 100 tractor protesters were arrested on the 31st while trying to block Rungis, the largest agricultural product market in Europe, south of Paris, France. Separately, about 10,000 farmers protested by occupying roads across France with tractors. In places such as Strasbourg in the northeast, even the young children of these farmers came out driving ‘mini tractors’ and joined their parents’ protests.
Rungis Market serves as the ‘food hub’ of Paris. If this place is occupied, there will be a major disruption in the supply of food ingredients to the restaurant industry. In addition, the possibility of causing an aviation crisis cannot be ruled out as Orly International Airport is also located nearby. Accordingly, some restaurants are known to be stockpiling two to three times the usual amount in preparation for the Rungis market being blocked.
Farmers are expressing strong dissatisfaction with major countries such as France and Germany cutting subsidies for agricultural diesel fuel after the EU promoted the so-called ‘green deal’ policy aimed at ‘carbon neutrality’. It is argued that the introduction of regulations at the EU level, such as mandating that at least 4% of cultivated land be left fallow and banning the use of highly toxic pesticides, also threatens the livelihood of farmers.
In addition, as energy prices soared after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and farming costs soared, there is considerable dissatisfaction with the influx of low-priced agricultural products from around the world, such as the EU abolishing tariffs on Ukrainian crops and poultry, which are relatively cheaper than those in Western Europe. . Due to the flood of low-priced agricultural products from overseas, market prices of related products in major European countries have recently fallen significantly. Consumers welcome this, but farmers’ dissatisfaction is bound to increase. In response, farmer groups are claiming, “Please raise the prices of domestic agricultural products to reflect this situation.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.