The so-called "tractor rebellion" in Germany by farmers opposed to tax hikes and subsidy cuts has successfully forced the government to go back to the negotiating table.
The farmers forced Berlin to shut down, after an estimated 10,000 farmers with over 5,000 tractors descended on the city and blockaded key roads into the German capital.
The German coalition government of the left-wing Social Democratic Party, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democratic Party have already been forced to water down some of its policies.
As negotiations proceed, the farmers have temporarily suspended their protests and the coalition government is almost certainly going to have to temper its policies even further. (Related: The German government is ripping off the farmers who feed the country.)
?? The German farmers have successfully blocked dozens of highways with the help of the German truckers.
This is my view up on a tractor on the A2 - Europe’s busiest highway.
I’m blown away. History in the making. pic.twitter.com/td4XkNACQf
— Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) January 8, 2024
German farmers vow to continue protesting until their demands are met
Germany's farmers have been taking their tractors to gather in and around Berlin since late last year, after the federal government announced a series of austerity measures to take effect this year so that the country can control its spiraling government debt.
One of the biggest cuts to government spending is the left-wing coalition government's decision to save nearly a billion euros ($1.09 billion) annually by slashing subsidies for farmers.
According to the budget for the German government's fiscal year, which began on Jan. 1, 2024, a partial tax refund on agricultural diesel and a tax exemption for agricultural vehicles will be abolished to meet savings targets. Farmers warned that such a measure would threaten their livelihood and the ability of Germany's agricultural sector to compete with the cheaper products outside the country.
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These farmers have further pointed out that, with fertilizer and fuel prices soaring in Europe since late February 2022 following the beginning of Russia's special military operation of Ukraine, they are feeling the squeeze of increased costs and losing these government subsidies would ruin German agriculture.
Anne-Kathrin Meister of the Federation of German Rural Youth warned that agricultural yields simply can't keep up with growing costs.
"If you compare the increase for prices of machinery, pesticides and fertilizer alone, the yield has never increased to the same extent," said Meister. "The challenges of the last few years and the current ones are simply a bit much all at once."
Meister added that the agricultural sector does not oppose environmental reforms – environmental groups have actually been participating in the farmers protests due to their support for the genetically unmodified agriculture of German farmers and the fair prices they set for their products – but any reform needs to be supported by the broad public.
"Farmers are the first ones affected when flora and fauna are in a bad way," said Meister, who added that environmental costs come with a price tag that both consumers and producers need to be ready to pay.
Visit OrganicFarming.news for more stories about farmers' protests in different parts of the world.
Watch this clip from a farmers' protest in Berlin earlier in January.
This video is from Cynthias Pursuit of Truth on Brighteon.com.
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