As a major European Union meeting is taking place in Brussels on Tuesday, European farmers are taking the opportunity to make their dissatisfaction with the EU's agricultural framework heard. A symbolic action will take place in the city's European Quarter.
Speeches and a symbolic action called 'The EU House of Cards' will take place by several farmers' unions – including the Boerenbond, the Fédération Wallonne de l'Agriculture (FWA) and Copa-Cogeca – in the framework of the European Day of Action. Delegations from Spain, Italy and Poland, among other countries, are also present.
Unlike during previous farmers' protests, there will be no tractors descending on Brussels' European Quarter this time, according to Boerenbond spokesperson Tessa De Prins. "It is a symbolic action. There will be speeches at 10:00 and a visual moment at 11:15," she told The Brussels Times.
The Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police confirmed to The Brussels Times that it will be a static protest, with one or two tractors supporting the farmers' podium. Still, some traffic disruptions are expected in the city's European Quarter, particularly in the area around the Rue de la Loi. However, this will mainly be due to the already disrupted traffic as a result of the public sector strike.
Farmers protesting in the Schuman area. Credit: Boerenbond
"Without a clear and protected budget line to support the EU's agricultural framework, European agricultural policy risks collapsing like a house of cards," said Copa-Cogeca in a press statement.
In the context of the ongoing talks around the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the activists are calling for funding not to be centralised into a single fund, not to make any move toward further renationalisation, or present a rushed proposal for the next Common Agricultural Policy to be presented in July alongside the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
Instead, they want the two cornerstones of the Common Agricultural Policy – the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) – to be reserved.
"The EU budget is not merely a technical matter – it is a fundamental political issue, particularly in relation to agriculture," the statement reads. "As Europe faces overlapping challenges – from geopolitical instability and economic and legal uncertainty to climate change and shifting global trade dynamics – one fact remains clear: food security is security."
Collapsing house of cards. Credit: Boerenbond
