FARMERS' RIOT

The EU has been facing a wave of angry farmers since mid-December last year. Farmers from France, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and many other countries have been protesting against the EU's agricultural policies. They have used tractors and trucks to block major roads, ports, railways and airports, burned tyres and hay, and dumped manure on government buildings. They even reached Brussels, the capital of the EU, where they threw eggs at the European Parliament. This protest looks unusual and even somewhat colourful and romantic, but it has not turned violent or clashed with the police. The local media have reported on the events, but they have not given them much attention.

However, this could change as the elections for the European Parliament are approaching in June. The farmers' anger could become a political force, especially because they have organised their actions well and have shown discipline - they even brought their own bio-toilets. Moreover, the farmers' revolt has gained wide popular support: people support them honking from their cars, bring them warm clothes and food, and do not complain about the traffic jams caused by the tractors.

The current situation is similar to the recent protests of the so-called yellow vests in France, which started with discontent over high fuel prices and then expanded to issues such as economic inequality and political representation. The farmers' movement is also not just about the Common Agricultural Policy in the EU, which they distrust. They are raising other issues and questioning the decision-making process at the EU level. Some media have even compared the protesters to right-wing extremists.

Reason for dissatisfaction

The main reason for the farmers' dissatisfaction is the drop in their income while their costs have increased due to several factors.

First, the pricing chain is not always transparent, and the farmers have to deal with bureaucracy, many administrative rules, and cuts in subsidies. The allocation of funds is not always fair between large and small farms, and the former tend to get more than the latter.

Secondly, the farmers are unhappy with the competition from cheap imports, which do not have to meet the same standards as the products made in the EU. This clearly harms the local producers. The most sensitive and tricky issue for Brussels is the link to the Ukrainian crisis, which is painful for everyone. The EU lifted the customs duties on its agricultural products in 2022 to support Ukraine. This led to a surge of Ukrainian products into the EU and a fall in prices. In Ukraine, as well as in Moldova, production is cheaper (they do not have such strict regulations as the EU, and their costs are lower) and they have vast farmland. Therefore, EU farmers are not happy with the influx of grain, sugar beet, eggs, chicken meat and other products.

The first ones to react were the Polish farmers, who started blocking the border with Ukraine in early November last year. The Latvian farmers demanded to stop the imports of Russian and Belarusian products into their country. The trade agreement with the Mercosur countries (South America) has also caused a lot of discontent (Mercosur is a South American trade and economic bloc with a common commercial and investment zone. - R+). This is why the farmers are blocking the ports and railways. They claim that they can produce enough food for themselves and for export. However, they also suffer from the loss of Russia as their main market for European agricultural products.

Thirdly, the high prices of fuel, electricity, and fertilisers scare and annoy the farmers, as they increase their production costs. At the same time, the governments and retailers have tried to lower the food prices for the consumers, who are also affected by the cost of living crisis. This issue is also related to Ukraine. The EU countries have imposed many sanctions on Russia to support Kiev, which have raised the prices of fuel and fertilisers.

Fourthly, one of the biggest challenges is the EU's ambition to fight climate change, which imposes various restrictions on the farmers. The production standards for CO2-neutrality often ignore the local conditions and the size of the farms. The farmers are worried about the green deal, which the European Commission adopted on December 11, 2019. It is a plan to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It means reducing the use of pesticides and fertilisers by 50% by 2030, and allocating at least 10% of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes (such as forests or ponds).

The EU also expects that by 2030, 25% of its total agricultural area will be organic. Many people think that the EU's green course is unrealistic and costly. For example, in the Netherlands, the farmers have been protesting for years against the strict limits on nitrogen emissions. In Ireland, they opposed the "green" suggestion to kill more than 200,000 cows.

On the other hand, the farmers are also affected by the consequences of climate change. In recent years, Europe has faced floods, droughts, and fires like never before. It is clear that ignoring these changes is like cutting the branch that you are sitting on. But the main question that everyone is asking is who will pay for the costs of transforming agriculture to organic farming?

Fifthly, we cannot but mention the interpretation of ongoing events through the so-called conspiracy context, which has some logic. This opinion is popular in the media and on social networks. After all, who is the farmer? He is the one who has shaped the history up to now. And especially, the history of the so-called civilised countries. He has always been seen as the founding block of the Western world, market economy (unlike the collective farmer, who owned nothing personally). A farmer can feed himself, his product is real, and it can be sold or exchanged. He is probably the last person to be attracted by the virtual world that is being imposed everywhere, because he has no time or need for it.

Usually, a farmer is a traditionalist, a family man (because without a large family, he cannot survive or run the farm). And most importantly, he lives in nature, and owns large pieces of land. But now, in the transition to a "green" way of life, he seems to take too much space, produce his product with wrong and harmful technologies, or produce the wrong thing altogether (such as cows that pollute the atmosphere instead of eco-friendly crickets). And he also asks for subsidies and benefits all the time. So there is a clear conflict.

Possible solutions

The European Commission's president Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged that the farmers' complaints are a challenge for the bloc, and promised to take actions to protect their interests. The farmers have already managed to cancel the requirement to leave 4% of arable land fallow every year. The Commission also offered a package to reduce the administrative burden, and to improve the access to water resources.

France's new prime minister Gabriel Attal cancelled a planned increase in the tax on diesel for farm machinery, and promised millions of euros in grants for organic farms. He also warned the supermarkets that they would face fines if they did not pay the producers a "fair price" for their products.

Poland's agriculture minister Czeslaw Seckerski agreed to meet three demands of the farmers: the government will provide subsidies for corn farming, promise not to raise the tax rate to 21%, and keep the low-interest loans for agriculture. Seckerski also confirmed that the ban on selling Ukrainian products in Poland would last indefinitely.

The politicians in Brussels are mostly afraid that the farmers' revolt will join forces with the opposition parties, especially the right-wing ones. For instance, in Germany, the Alternative for Germany party has already backed the farmers. Some small far-right groups such as the Free Saxons, Third Way, and Homeland have also joined them. It is unclear how this will affect the future composition of the new EU parliament. Everyone knows that the crisis has been simmering for a long time, but neither Brussels nor the national governments have been eager to solve it.

The farmers' protests are becoming increasingly important not only for Europe, but also for the world. They could affect the unity of the European Union, have ties to the conflict in Ukraine, and are also related to climate change. This is enough to take the tractors on the streets of European cities seriously.