Hasselt –
The agricultural sector is preparing for a week of actions in protest against the nitrogen decree. The farmers are tired of being pushed into a straitjacket of threshold values, without having a say. The first action will take place on Sunday during the Limburg derby between KRC Genk and STVV.
The Belgian farmers are joining the protests that their French colleagues have been conducting since last week. Hundreds of farmers have been blocking French motorways since Friday morning, causing massive traffic jams. Two people were also killed when a farmer’s wife and her daughter were hit at a blockade, making the actions even more grim.
French farmers are protesting against declining incomes, European environmental regulations, and standards that they believe are increasing rapidly.
Farmers in our country are also planning to take action. In Wallonia, the French example was already followed here and there on Saturday. Flemish farmers are considering actions in the coming week, in protest against the nitrogen decree. The Boerenbond has already announced that it will challenge the decree at the Constitutional Court.
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Spaghetti of regulations
It now appears that farmers are not just going to stick to a legal battle, but will also take to the streets. “There is a great willingness to take action among our members,” says the farmers’ union. With several protest actions in the coming week, they want to highlight the lack of participation in the creation of a decree with a far-reaching impact on the future of agriculture.
“The farmers are working their butts off, but they don’t feel respected by the policy. They are confronted with a spaghetti of regulations from Europe, which impose additional requirements on them, even to the point of absurdity. The government determines when a farmer can do what in his own field. These regulations suffocate farmers and deprive our agricultural sector of the necessary breathing space and future prospects. This is unsustainable,” says Lode Ceyssens, chairman of the Boerenbond.
In France, manure was also used to block entrances. — © AP
“Due to the uncertainty, farmers no longer dare to make investments. If we want to produce our own food in Europe and Flanders in the future, the government must support our farmers instead of overloading them with conditions,” says Maarten Moermans of Groene Kring.