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Farmers growing discontent - 19th February 2024

Discontent in the agricultural sector’s swiftly gathered momentum, spreading from farmers in Poland to their counterparts across France, Belgium and Germany. Raising the alarm with the authorities, protesting farmers have been seen using tractors to bring motorways to a standstill, manure-filled lorries to spray administrative buildings, and scarecrows planted outside the Palace of Westminster to carry their message to politicians.

Resentment stems from soaring costs for livestock feed, seeds, energy and haulage, while heavy regulation, the consequences of climate change and being undercut by low-grade imports only add to farmers’ woes. This comes as governments are desperate for supermarkets to ease pressures on family finances at the checkout.

One target of farmer’s ire, the European Green Deal legislation imposes new environmental measures,stipulating that unless four percent of a farmer’s land is devoted to non-agricultural purposes, such as hedgerows, trees or rewilding, they’ll be ineligible for EU farming subsidies. In the face of recent demonstrations, this particular requirement’s been kicked into the long grass by European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.

Quick to call out the failings of the European Green Deal, far right politicians including Marine Le Pen, have propagated a ‘greenlash’, the term coined for this backlash over environmental issues. According to analysts, it has the potential to sway voters in the upcoming European elections. To counter this attack, the French government’s setting aside 150 million euros annually to support its livestock farmers, as well as ramping up quality control checks on imported produce.

While no longer bound by EU red tape, farmers in Britain aren’t faring any better. 49 scarecrows set up outside parliament represent the 49 percent of UK farmers on the brink of turning their back on the industry.

Eager to limit inflation in the food sector, supermarkets are seeking out budget friendly produce from Morocco and beyond, to the detriment of locally-grown goods.

With political futures weighing in the balance due to imminent European Parliamentary elections and a UK general election no later than January 2025, the quest is to accommodate action to safeguard the climate and affordable food without alienating the agricultural sector. Failing this, their jobs might well be at stake.