Czech farmers rally at borders to protest EU policy

By: AFP
Published: 04:18 AM, 23 Feb, 2024
Czech farmers rally at borders to protest EU policy
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Several thousand Czech farmers rallied at border checkpoints and converged on major cities on Thursday to demand changes to the European Union's common agricultural policy.


They joined farmers from other European countries -- including Poland, France, Spain and Greece -- who have been dumping produce and blocking roads in pursuit of their demands over the past weeks.


"Around 3,000 tractors took to the streets," Czech Chamber of Agriculture said in a statement on the nationwide protests.


The farmers gathered at the border crossings with Slovakia and Poland, using tractors and agricultural machinery to clog roads and snarl traffic.


Their demands included an end to restrictions on agricultural production, cutting red tape for farming and introducing changes to the EU-Ukraine arrangements on farming imports.


Across Europe, farmers claim competition from Ukrainian products has battered their earnings because Ukrainian farmers are not bound by EU rules on issues such as animal welfare.


Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny said he "understands" the protesting farmers.


"I, too, am bothered by the unnecessary bureaucracy and some of the unrealistic demands that the EU places on our farmers," Vyborny said on X (formerly Twitter).


The European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- made several concessions in recent weeks after farmers across Europe blamed the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the EU's upcoming "Green Deal" for their problems.






Categories : World