Thousands of farm tractors have blocked highways and major European cities for around ten days. Angry farmers took drastic measures. Over the weekend, we could even see these major demonstrations sweep through Paris.
• Read also: Farmers’ protests: nearly 400 km of highways blocked in France
In addition to France, farmers from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and some Eastern European countries simultaneously cried out their despair and frustration. Political leaders everywhere found themselves on the defensive, trying to avoid direct confrontation.
The reasons for anger are multiple.
- New charges on diesel, in the name of climate change, are increasing production costs.
- They are now asked to pay for water use.
- They face increasingly burdensome and rigid environmental regulations.
- They are deprived of the right to use certain pesticides and herbicides without offering replacement solutions.
- They are asked to leave part of their land idle, leading to another loss of income.
- Listen to the Montpetit-Dumont meeting with Marie Montpetit via QUB :
Forgotten
But beyond all these accumulated dissatisfactions, the ultimate frustration is the feeling of being misunderstood and forgotten. It’s the feeling that decisions that affect your business and your income are being made by people who have no idea what you’re going through and what you’re doing.
Civil servants and politicians establish rules on pesticides or cultivation methods, but they cannot grow a potato. They fear pressure from environmentalists and ease their conscience by promulgating these rules. They have no idea of the complications or the loss of income that will result for farmers on the famous floor of cows.
Honestly, what I hear from farmers in Europe is quite similar to what I hear back home. Our farmers have the same feeling of being totally misunderstood. They sense the absurdity of a society where they are asked to produce more in the name of our food autonomy while imposing increasingly restrictive obstacles on them.
Photo AFP
Many SMEs
You know what? This sentiment doesn’t just apply to farmers. I feel the same impatience of SMEs in the forestry sector. Same thing in several other sectors where entrepreneurs who take risks and put their heart into work can no longer stand disconnected decisions that put obstacles in their way.
In fact, it is essentially the same anger that we perceive among restaurateurs. Regulations, expensive permits, high taxes while hundreds die in combat. We can imagine the frustration.
The revolt against a certain elite is brewing in Europe as in America. It opens the door to worrying phenomena such as the popularity of a narcissist like Trump. To calm this rise, we will need politicians who are aware of what hard-working people are experiencing, on the ground.