Farmers held protests in several European countries on Tuesday, TASS reports.
In Germany, about ten thousand farmers came to Berlin, Munich, Hannover, Leipzig on 5 thousand tractors, paralyzing car traffic in these cities. They oppose the new rules for the management of fertilizers proposed by the German government, which plans to reduce the use of nitrates and liquid manure in fertilizing land, with which farmers strongly disagree. A month ago, they also staged a "tractor riot" in the capital. The head of state, Angela Merkel, did not find it necessary to go out to the protesters for negotiations, promising to do so in a few days.
On the same day, more than 50 tractors staged a demonstration in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius. The action was organized by the Lithuanian Farmers 'Union, which opposes the authorities' policy towards agriculture. The protest was supported in regional centers as well. In total, about 3 thousand agricultural machines took part in the demonstration.
As the organizers said, they do not agree with the authorities' policy towards the agro-industrial complex, which “is killing the village”. The main requirement is to abandon the 2020 percent increase in the excise tax on diesel fuel included in the draft state budget for 7,2. According to farmers, due to the increase in excise tax, half of the agricultural machinery will not be able to enter the fields. And the peasants are under pressure with taxes: over the past three years, taxes on agriculture in Lithuania have increased fivefold. They also demand from Brussels equal payments from EU funds for Lithuanian agrarians and farmers of those countries that have long joined the EU. At the suggestion of the European Commission, Lithuanian peasants by 2027 will be able to receive only 80 percent of what they receive in the “old-timers” countries now.
Source: https://rosng.ru/