Farmers set fire to piles of tyres in Brussels on Monday in a protest to demand EU action on issues ranging from cheap supermarket prices to free trade deals, as agricultural ministers met to discuss the crisis in the sector. Ednews reports the following citing Reuters.
Over 100 tractors were parked around the European Union institutions' headquarters, jamming parts of Brussels, a short distance from the cordoned off area where ministers were meeting.
Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks to demand action from policymakers on an array of pressures they say the sector is under - from cheap supermarket prices, to low-cost imports that undercut local producers, to strenuous EU environmental rules.
Local grievances vary. But Morgan Ody, General Coordinator of farming organisation La Via Campesina, said that for most farmers: "It's about income."
