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EU Chief's Attempt to Quell Farmer Fury Finds No Ground as Protest Spreads

© AFP 2023 / Christophe ArchambaultFarmers block the A62 highway to protest over taxation and declining income, near Agen.
Farmers block the A62 highway to protest over taxation and declining income, near Agen. - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.01.2024
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Efforts by EU leaders to ease tensions with protesting farmers has encountered obstacles due to economic hardships and inconsistent regulatory policies impacting their agricultural activities. In response, farmers have amplified their demonstrations to vent dissatisfaction and push for viable resolutions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke on Thursday in favor of addressing the escalating farmer protests over subsidy cuts in an important election year for the bloc, Bloomberg reports.
The official acknowledged that everyone is facing a "sense of urgency" and asserted that things should improve. Her comments were an attempt to appease the farmers caught up in a web of erratic regulations that have left them bankrupt; however, how such stopgap intervention could quell the farmer unrest remains to be seen.
Farmers are seeking increased financial support to counterbalance the expenses incurred due to European Union environmental regulations and a reduction in daily operational regulations. The EU aims to cut pesticide usage by 50% by 2030 and implement a ban on plant protection products, potentially leading to a decline in yields ranging from 20- 40%. Additionally, farmers are grappling with the effects of inflation on energy and fuel costs, coupled with competition from more affordable imports.
Farmers block the A62 highway to protest over taxation and declining income, near Agen. - Sputnik International, 1920, 25.01.2024
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Nearly 90% of French Citizens Support Farmers' Protests - Poll

“What makes us angry is that we shouldn’t be importing the food products we don’t want to produce at home,” a French farmer, whose first name is Sylvie, told BFM TV.

Romanian farmers staged protests on January 15, 2024, near their border with Ukraine, emphasizing their need for increased public support.
Farmer demonstrations are ongoing in Germany due to the government's move to remove a tax break on agricultural diesel. The decision officially aims to balance the 2024 budget, prompted by a constitutional court ruling in November that compelled a revision of spending plans.
Tractors are lined up in the Strasse des 17 Juni boulevard, towards the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, on December 18, 2023, as German farmers demonstrate against the planned abolition of subsidies for agricultural diesel. - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.01.2024
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Tractors Block Roads in Germany as Farmers Protest Fuel Tax Hike
Polish farmers intend to stage road blockades at around 250 locations in objection to EU initiatives aiming to limit carbon emissions. Protesters are also demonstrating against unregulated food imports from Ukraine, which have inundated local markets, causing price drops and adversely affecting their livelihoods.
Last year, relations between Warsaw and Kiev deteriorated as the former Polish administration imposed restrictions on grain imports from Ukraine, a move that was prompted by farmer protests mere months before the October 15, 2023, parliamentary election.
A European flag flies at half-mast during a meeting of EU energy ministers to find solutions to rising energy prices at the EU headquarters in Brussels on Septembre 9, 2022, one day after the death of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.01.2024
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EU to Audit Members' Arms Contribution to Ukraine as Support Declines
European leaders attribute the decision to cut subsidies for farmers to a lack of funds. However, it doesn't stop EU member states from allocating substantial funds — tens of billions of euros — for the Kiev regime. After Hungary vetoed the latest €50 billion package, EU officials are contemplating a new strategy to direct €22 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
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