Hol
Well-known
Some leaders of a farmer’s union opposed to a massive European Union free trade deal that could wipe out agriculture on the continent have been arrested as tractors overwhelmed police roadblocks to drive into the centre of Paris.
Farmers across Europe turned out to protest the so-called Mercosur deal due to be voted on by the European Union on Friday, a massive free trade agreement with South America which would so flood the continent with cheap food the agricultural sector fears it would all but wipe out farming in Europe. Highways have been blocked in Greece and convoys of tractors are descending on Paris, leading to tense standoffs with police ordered to seize tractors from drivers who disobey commands.
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Greek farmers fear the impact of the Mercosur deal flooding Europe with food imports from countries with lower mandatory standards and lower production costs. One protest organiser is reported to have said: “If this agreement goes through, Greek agriculture is finished… Greece depends on agriculture and tourism. We don’t have heavy industry like Germany or France. Production costs here are 300% higher than in Latin America.”
These protests have now been going on for weeks and tractor demonstrations have become a familiar part of European life in recent years, as the rural community fights against its own extinction and for its interests against the politics of the ever-more-urban ruling class. As reported, farmers were engaged in a pitched battle with police at the very doors of the European Union in Brussels last month, launching potatoes at officers and burning a great bonfire in the historic city square before the bloc’s parliament against the Mercosur agreement.
www.breitbart.com
Farmers across Europe turned out to protest the so-called Mercosur deal due to be voted on by the European Union on Friday, a massive free trade agreement with South America which would so flood the continent with cheap food the agricultural sector fears it would all but wipe out farming in Europe. Highways have been blocked in Greece and convoys of tractors are descending on Paris, leading to tense standoffs with police ordered to seize tractors from drivers who disobey commands.
…
Greek farmers fear the impact of the Mercosur deal flooding Europe with food imports from countries with lower mandatory standards and lower production costs. One protest organiser is reported to have said: “If this agreement goes through, Greek agriculture is finished… Greece depends on agriculture and tourism. We don’t have heavy industry like Germany or France. Production costs here are 300% higher than in Latin America.”
These protests have now been going on for weeks and tractor demonstrations have become a familiar part of European life in recent years, as the rural community fights against its own extinction and for its interests against the politics of the ever-more-urban ruling class. As reported, farmers were engaged in a pitched battle with police at the very doors of the European Union in Brussels last month, launching potatoes at officers and burning a great bonfire in the historic city square before the bloc’s parliament against the Mercosur agreement.
'We Will Not Die in Silence': Farmers Overwhelm Police in Paris
Leaders of a farmer's union arrested as tractors overwhelm police roadblocks to drive into centre of Paris to protest a forthcoming EU deal.
www.breitbart.com
