The European Commission will present a proposal for this on Thursday new exemption from EU regulations for farmers regarding the minimum quotas of land to be kept fallow To have access to aid from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This was announced by a spokesman for the EU executive.
“Due to the perceived threat to food security” posed by the war in Ukraine, the spokesman recalls, Brussels has already introduced an exemption (BCAA 8 in technical jargon) for the fallowing of arable land. Now, as farmers' protests grow across Europe, a new exemption is being considered.
Meanwhile, Spanish farmers have announced that they will join the European protest movement, and called for mobilization across the country. The agricultural organizations Asaja, Coag and Upa have announced a calendar of protests calling for a “change in European policies and a shock plan of state intervention in favor of the territories against the crisis that the sector is experiencing”.
The Belgian farmers intend to block for 36 hours the access roads to the container port of Zeebrugge on the North Sea. The port authority announced this according to media reports. The farmers' protests in Belgium have been going on for days. The situation on the roads remains complicated across the country. In the morning, the first tractors reached the European Parliament premises in Brussels and the Walloon city of Namur was stormed by around 300 vehicles. Yesterday the Association of Young Belgian Farmers (FJA) threatened a total blockade of the capital between tomorrow and Thursday, coinciding with the EU summit.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron said today it would be “easy to blame everything on Europe” to explain the difficulties faced by French farmers who denounce some legal obligations of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). During his state visit to Sweden yesterday, Macron underlined his rejection of the trade deal negotiated between the European Union and Mercosur due to “rules that do not match ours” and called for “clear measures” on imports of poultry and grain from Ukraine.
250 tractors protest against the EU in the Milan hinterland
Over 250 tractors with more than 400 farmers, especially from the provinces of Milan, Pavia and Lodi, met this morning in the area in front of the toll booth of the Melegnano motorway, in the hinterland of Milan, under the direction of the national coordination of “Riscatto Agrario”. ' to protest against the European Union's policies in this sector.
Filippo Goglio, organizer of the demonstration, said: “If we continue like this, we all run the risk of being closed down sooner or later.”
“We are not against the government,” he added, “we are for Italy. That’s why we chose the Italian flag with the tractor depicted as a symbol of our fight.”
The demonstration has led to some traffic disruptions so far.
50 tractors protest in Grosseto but are stopped outside the city
Farmers are also protesting against Europe in Grosseto, where around 50 tractors and several heavy vehicles are blocked on one side of the old Aurelia, now provincial road 154, as they try to reach the capital from the south of the Maremma. At around 10 a.m. a procession was to have set out for Piazza Nassirya, near the walls of the historic center of Grosseto, where a debate on the Community's agricultural policy was to take place. But that didn't happen because the prefectural authorities and police told organizers that they had approved a small procession with just a tractor and a few farmers on foot.
The old Aurelia is blocked at the entrance to Grosseto, behind the bridge over the Ombrone river, still called Ponte Mussolini, because the demonstrators have stopped the march of tractors on the entrance road waiting for permission to enter the city. Some vehicles parked in the parking spaces next to the street, but most of them couldn't find space. Italian flags on the tractors and also the inscription “Sì latte Italiano”.
400 tractors against the EU in front of the A/1 toll booth in Tuscany
Protest by farmers against the EU's sectoral policy this morning with 250 tractors – although 400 are expected today – in front of the toll booth of the A/1 Valdichiana motorway of the Autostrada del Sole in Tuscany between Sinalunga (Siena) and Foiano della Chiana (Arezzo). The peaceful demonstration brings together manufacturers from central Italy who have lined up their vehicles along normal roads in the countryside outside the motorway. Signs are posted like “You will remain undeveloped, not my land,” “Let us cultivate a future, not hope.” “We fight for everyone, if we fail there will be no future,” “No agriculture, no food, no future.” Tricolor flags are waved. Every farmer who comes to the meeting announces himself with a long honk. Police forces, police officers and carabinieri are monitoring the progress of the protest on site.
The demonstration is inspired by similar protests taking place by farmers in France and Germany against EU agricultural policies for the same reasons, and is expected to last five days, from today until February 3rd.
Shepherds and farmers in Cagliari against the EU, “total fight”
First blockades at the port of Cagliari for trucks trying to enter and leave the capital's airport. Hundreds of demonstrators lined up in front of the barriers next to the customs office, where trucks carrying goods are accepted and checked before they are allowed entry.
This is a temporary closure: the passage is temporarily blocked and then opened. Farmers and shepherds whistle and wave the Sardinian flags of the Four Moors, but there are also those – among the youngest – who play Morra. The situation is kept under control by the carabinieri and the state and local police: the protest continues peacefully.
The tractor protest does not stop and after today's sit-in in Cagliari, tomorrow a new garrison could be set up in the port of Oristano with farmers and shepherds who are already organizing similar initiatives in the ports in the north of the island.
“They want to steal our land and give it to multinational corporations to place wind turbines and solar panels there: but what should we, who live in the fields, do?” This is the protest of Andrea Cinus, a breeder from Teulada, historical protagonist the pastoral struggles of recent years in front of the regional council building.
“We remember what happened in the 1970s when they wanted to drive men off the land and put them in factories. How many of these chimneys are still smoking now? But this time we are rebelling,” he states, “we are tired of working all day” for a product that is underpaid. While feed and energy are becoming more and more expensive. There is a very clear plan behind all of this. But this time we won’t give up.”
Shepherds and farmers protest with tractors in front of the port of Cagliari against the European Union's production policy in the Sardinian countryside. “We have wanted to demonstrate for some time,” Alessio Pilia, a farmer, told ANSA, “but the protest of our French friends convinced us to make our opinion heard.” Hard and long protest: “We will be here for at least five days “It will be possible,” he announces, “until we have positive signals.”
The rural world demands that European Union policies dictate rules tailored to the needs of Sardinian farmers and breeders. There are currently around thirty agricultural vehicles and around 300 people standing in front of the harbor entrance, but more demonstrators are expected.
Many belong to the Sardinian pastoral movement and a committee called Agricultural Redemption.
There is currently no blockage of goods and vehicles at the entrance to the customs office, but the situation could change in the next few hours with the arrival of reinforcements from the hinterland. A sign on a tractor reads, “Give us back our future.” Another agricultural vehicle carries a coffin and another an obituary to represent the death of agriculture in Sardinia.
Around 200 tractors drove to Lecce, causing severe traffic disruption
Around 200 tractors from various places in the province of Lecce are on their way to the Largo Vittime del Terrorismo in the capital of Salento. Protests began in France and reached Italy to reject cuts to European Union stimulus.
The tractors will remain offshore until 4 p.m. Two groups will then reach the Cavallino shopping center and the Surbo shopping center, where they will hold a permanent protest to inform the population of the reason for their protest. The roads affected by the passage of tractors and with severe disruption to car traffic are the state road 613 Brindisi-Lecce, the state road 16 Adriatica Maglie-Lecce, the state road 274 Gallipoli-Santa Maria di Leuca and the state road 275 Maglie -Santa Matia di Leuca and the State road 101 Gallipoli-Lecce.
Farmers, a dozen tractors at the Busalla toll booth on the A7
Farmers are also protesting in Liguria. About thirty people and a dozen tractors arrived from Vallescriva at the Busalla motorway toll booth on the A7 Genoa-Milan. There are currently no traffic disruptions. Protests began in France and reached Italy to reject cuts to European Union stimulus. In recent days there has been tension at the Orte toll booth on the A1, where tractors tried to block traffic on the motorway, but police intervened and prevented the raid.
Read the full article on ANSA.it