FEATURE
European legislators are working to finalise a number of other climate and biodiversity rules this year ahead of the June elections .
How the protests have developed
In December , the German government announced plans to reduce subsidies and spending in an effort to fill a € 17bn gap in the country ’ s 2024 budget .
The measures included cutting some agricultural subsidies and tax breaks , leading to an outburst of farmer protests ( as covered in Carbon Brief ’ s Cropped newsletter ).
In the weeks since then , other farmer groups across the EU have been taking to the streets with their own concerns .
Figure 2 . Farmers with tractors protested at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin , Germany on 16 January 2024 . Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Germany
The German government eased its budget cut plans in January by “ giving up a proposal to scrap a car tax exemption for farming vehicles ” and phasingout agricultural diesel subsidies instead of outright removing them , the Associated Press reported .
German farmers continued to protest , calling for the subsidies to remain fully in place . The Financial Times said the subsidy issues were the “ immediate trigger ” for the protests , but German farmer Frank Schmidt told the outlet that he and others were already “ at the end of our tether ”.
Figure 3 . Protesting farmers blocked the A10 motorway with tractors during a protest near Longvilliers , south of Paris , France on 29 January 2024 . Credit : Abaca Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Carbon Brief has gathered a range of specific concerns based on media reports and farmer union statements across seven EU countries ( Fig 1 ).
These issues relate to climate change and biodiversity in different ways .
In some countries , protesters are calling for more action on climate adaptation , particularly in Greece where farmers are asking for measures to prevent farmland being damaged by flooding and other extreme weather .
In other cases , farmers are calling for fuel subsidies to continue and for fertiliser and pesticide restrictions to be reconsidered .
The EU ’ s “ farm to fork ” strategy – the bloc ’ s broad sustainable food initiative – focuses on cutting both pesticides and fertilisers in the years ahead to optimise their use and reduce harm ( read Carbon Brief ’ s Q & A on fertilisers and climate change ).
Last November , politicians voted against the EU ’ s proposed pesticide regulation which aimed to halve the use and risk of chemical pesticides by the end of this decade . This “ buried the bill for good ”, the Associated Press noted . Any new proposal “ would need to start from scratch ” after the European parliament elections in June .
The EU said these rules would have “ translate [ d ] our commitment to halt biodiversity loss in Europe into action ”, highlighting the health risks and water quality issues associated with pesticide use .
The protests “ tapped into wider discontent with Germany ’ s government ”, the Associated Press said , with farmers raising similar concerns around requirements and cheap imported food .
Around 30,000 protestors and thousands of tractors brought Berlin ’ s city centre “ to a standstill ” in mid-January as the demonstrations continued , the Guardian said .
France
The protests in France also began partly over plans to reduce agricultural fuel subsidies , which the government rolled back at the end of January ( but not before farmers in Dijon sprayed manure on a local government building ).
Protests escalated last week as hundreds of tractors blocked off major roads into the country ’ s capital in what was called the “ siege of Paris ” by many media outlets , including BBC News .
President Emmanuel Macron was “ scrambling to end an escalating political and social crisis ”, the Times said . ( Read last week ’ s edition of Carbon Brief ’ s Cropped newsletter for more de-
Grassroots Vol 24 No 1 March 2024 06