Convoys of tractors brought traffic in Brussels to a standstill Friday, as thousands of Belgian farmers protested the Flemish regional government’s plans to limit nitrogen emissions from agriculture.
Some 2,700 tractors rolled into Brussels from the Flanders region, according to police estimates, filling the streets with a cacophony of honks as farmers vented their anger over the planned cuts, which they say threaten to put many of them out of business.
“It’s an economic and social catastrophe,” said Nele Kempeneers, a spokesperson for Belgian farmers’ association Boerenbond, one of the unions that organized the protest. “A lot of farms will have to limit the amount of animals that they keep, or simply close down.”
Some protestors plastered signs to the front of their tractors, voicing their opposition. “No farmers, no food,” read one. “Don’t forget who takes care of your food,” read another.
www.politico.eu/article/belgium-farmer-protests-brussels-nitrogen-emissions/
h/t dr0id