01/08/2024 10:08 (current 01/08/2024 10:13)
Protest against the removal of subsidies. ©APA/dpa
Farmers' protests across Germany began on Monday with blockades of motorway entrances and tractor convoys in cities. There were also disruptions to road traffic near the border.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, farmers blocked motorway entrances. In Bavaria, police reported traffic disruptions in many locations, for example because roads were only one lane or motorway entrances were blocked. Early in the morning, protest participants with around 200 tractors and trucks gathered at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
Traffic disruptions in the Allgäu
In the district of Ostallgäu
- B12 Germaringen, Jengen, Altdorf blocked
- B16 Pforzen, Roßhaupten blocked
- Buchloe junction completely blocked
- Kaufbeuren, Spittelmühl junction and B12 roundabout blocked
In the Oberallgäu district/city of Kempten
- B19 in the direction of Kempten is completely blocked near Herzmanns
- B12 between Wildpoldsried and Kraftsried traffic blocked
Unterallgäu/city of Memmingen
- Mindelheim, B16/B300 roundabout blocked, B16 towards Mindelheim blocked by several vehicles
- BAB 96, intersection Ungerhausen/Holzgünz, Memmingen-Ost, Erkheim completely blocked
- Moosbach roundabout between Memmingen and Ottobeuren blocked
- Oberrieden near Mindelheim blocked
- BAB 96, Siegmarszell junction blocked
- In the Günzburg area, tractors caused disruptions on the B16
- There were interruptions on the B300 between Krumbach and Thannhausen
- A blocked 8 Jettingen/Scheppach
- Illertissen: Illertissen traffic junction blocked
- Nersingen junction completely blocked
Attention Vorarlberg: protests in Westallgäu on Friday
According to media reports, a larger protest action in West Allgäu and the district of Lindau will take place next Friday, January 12th. Apparently a tractor convoy with around 400 participants is planned from Lindau to Hergatz.
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He also protests against the increase in truck tolls
Farmers were supported by shipping companies who protested against the increase in truck tolls. In many parts of Germany, bus drivers, students and passengers still have to adapt to severe disabilities. Several education ministries in the German federal states announced that students would be dismissed if they were unable to attend classes due to the actions.
German Farmers' Action Week
The German farmers' association has called for a week of action to demonstrate against the removal of industry subsidies. The main issue is the tax relief on agricultural diesel. The fact that the Berlin government has withdrawn part of its austerity plans is not enough for the association. After an escalation of protests against German Economy Minister Robert Habeck in the North Sea, the farmers' association also called on its supporters to exercise restraint over the weekend and called for actions in front of politicians' homes and hostilities personal injuries were avoided.
According to police, several tractors were on the motorway in an unannounced demonstration on the A81, near Böblingen, on Monday. In the district of Cloppenburg in northwestern Lower Saxony, a federal highway was blocked by 40 vehicles. In Saxony, according to police, some motorway entrances in the Dresden area were unusable.
Demand: reverse cuts
The German farmers' association has once again called for the planned cuts to be reversed. “They are taking away the future of agriculture. Above all, we end up putting at risk the safe supply of local, high-quality food,” said the association's president, Joachim Rukwied, on RBB Inforradio. “We count on the government in Berlin to see reason and reduce this disproportionate burden on agriculture. That is our main objective in the demonstrations.”
Last year was the first in decades that the company's results were “right” due to rising milk, cereal and meat prices, Rukwied said. “Milk prices have fallen now. We had a peak of 60 cents, now we are back to around 40 cents. Pig prices are falling. Prices have fallen, especially for cereals and rapeseed,” said the farmers' president.
Income fell by a third
In combination with higher energy prices and the now proposed subsidy cuts, this will lead to a drop in farmers' income by at least a third. “And that is unacceptable,” Rukwied said.
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil also called for the cuts to be reversed. The German government should confess everything and end the conflict, the SPD head of government said in ZDF's “Morgenmagazin”. “I believe both proposals affect one industry more than others.” The German government plans to phase out tax subsidies for agricultural diesel. Another proposal to overturn the tax exemption for agricultural machinery is off the table.
Criticism of blockades
The planned blockades were criticized by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser: “Anyone who blocks other people in their daily lives who have to rush to work, school or the doctor is, first of all, cause anger and lack of understanding,” he said. the SPD politician, the “Rheinische Post”. Legitimate protest ends where the rights of others are violated. Like other politicians, she called on farmers to clearly distance themselves from extremists.
“No violence, no infiltration by right-wing extremists”
Rukwied emphasized in ZDF: “Actions involving violence are prohibited.” State and district farmers' associations were informed that they should demonstrate peacefully. All demonstrations were recorded. When asked if he was worried about the possibility of farmers being infiltrated by right-wing extremists, Rukwied responded in the negative. “We are politically independent,” said the president of the farmers. “We express our concerns emphatically, but on the basis of the democratic constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.”
Next day of chaos on Wednesday: rail strike
From Wednesday onwards things will become very difficult for many passengers in Germany: so the train drivers' union GDL wants to go on strike at Deutsche Bahn, among others. The strike is expected to last from 2am on Wednesday to 6pm on Friday. Experience has shown that other railway companies could also be affected if, for example, signal box workers go on strike. Deutsche Bahn announced that it would submit an urgent application against the strike to the Frankfurt Labor Court.