INTL German Farmers Begin 8 Day Massive Protest Against Increased Government Taxation and Alarmist Climate Agenda

[Plain Jane]

The EU is looking for a short term fix to get them past the EU elections in June.

The EU's new import deal would support Ukraine while protecting the bloc's farmers

European Union lawmakers have agreed to renew Ukraine’s import rates, which have been in place since shortly after Russia invaded while adding protective measures for agricultural products such as grain and honey to address the concerns of farmers across the 27-nation bloc.

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The EU’s new import deal would support Ukraine while protecting the bloc’s farmers​

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Updated 5:36 AM EDT, March 20, 2024
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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers agreed Wednesday to renew Ukraine’s import rates, which have been in place since shortly after Russia invaded, while adding protective measures for agricultural products such as grain and honey to address the concerns of farmers across the 27-nation bloc.

Farmers angry at red tape and competition from cheap imports from select countries have been vehemently protesting in recent weeks across the bloc. Poland was among the countries leading the charge against duty-free imports after Polish farmers blocked border crossings with Ukraine in February, spilling Ukrainian grain and burning tires as they intensified a nationwide protest against the import of Ukrainian foods and European Union environmental policies.

Under the deal struck in the early hours of Wednesday, the EU would renew its temporary suspension of import duties and quotas on Ukrainian agricultural exports to the bloc, first granted in 2022 to support Ukraine in the war against Russia.

However, it comes with a reinforced safeguard that will force the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, “to reintroduce tariff-rate quotas if imports of poultry, eggs, sugar, oats, maize, groats and honey” surpass the average volumes imported in 2022 and 2023. This would limit cheap imports of those goods with the goal of keeping domestic farmers competitive in the market for such staples.

The contingency initially covered poultry, eggs, and sugar, but was extended to oats, maize, groats and honey.


EU lawmakers said they also “attained firm commitments from the Commission to take action if there is a surge of Ukrainian imports of wheat.”

Parliamentary rapporteur Sandra Kalniete said the deal struck a good balance between the needs to stand by Ukraine and to preserve EU farmers’ interests.

“Russia’s targeting of Ukraine and its food production also impacts EU farmers,” she said. “The Parliament heard their concerns, and bolstered safeguard measures that would alleviate the pressure on EU farmers should they be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in Ukrainian imports.”

The deal, struck on the eve of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, now needs to be formally approved by both the Parliament and member countries to enter into force in early June and extend to June 5, 2025.

 

[Publius]

Yep they will try to maintain the status quo, the above post show they ignore the protests and keep pushing the agenda.
There is a way to stop them but most will say it's wrong to do that though they have no other options.

 

[Plain Jane]

With unsold grain piled high, a Polish farmer faces an uncertain future as war in Ukraine grinds on

Polish farmer Piotr Korycki says his business has been badly destabilized by Russia’s war against Ukraine and that the European Union is only adding to his problems.

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With unsold grain piled high, a Polish farmer faces an uncertain future as war in Ukraine grinds on​

BY VANESSA GERA
Updated 1:55 AM EDT, March 20, 2024
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CYWINY WOJSKIE, Poland (AP) — Piotr Korycki picks up a handful of wheat and watches as the yellow grains run through his fingers.
All around him, grain is piled high in a warehouse on his farm north of the Polish capital: hundreds of tons of wheat, rye and corn left over from last year’s harvest that he is unable to sell for a profit.
With a new harvest on the horizon, he feels pressure to sell what he has to prevent it from going bad.

“The situation on our markets is really very, very tough,” Korycki said. “And if nothing changes, in a year or two it could become critical.”

Korycki’s frustrations have pushed him to help organize protests that have been taking place in Poland for the past three months, part of protests by farmers across Europe. The latest in Poland is expected on Wednesday.

His yard is filled with huge round bales of hay and modern farm equipment, evidence of the changes that came to agriculture in Poland since the country joined the European Union nearly 20 years ago. The family farms 200 hectares (nearly 500 acres) of wheat, rye, corn and sugar beets.

The 34-year-old, a farmer like his father and grandfather, says his business has been badly destabilized by Russia’s war against Ukraine, a result of the EU deciding to allow free trade with Ukraine after the war started.

The disruption of Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea led to a massive flow of grain across Poland’s border with Ukraine, driving down prices for food products while inflation has caused production costs and interest rates on loans to rise.



Korycki didn’t feel the pain for the first year of the war. Early on, the price for grain rose, but then fell below its original level. While he managed to sell part of last year’s harvest, he still has 300 tons of unsold grain. The surplus represents a loss of 100,000 zlotys ($25,000), which he calls “very large.”

In the past, he would have taken the grain to the Baltic Sea coast to sell to buyers who export it abroad by ship. But with the price collapse, what he would get would not cover transport costs. He expects the best he can do is sell it closer to home as animal feed at a loss.

“It’s going to be critical because land prices are rising, prices of commodities for production remain at a high level and prices of the final product are simply going down constantly,” he said.

Korycki says the EU seems to have no idea of what to do with the grain, “where to export it, on what terms, for what money, so this problem will only get worse.”

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledges that the problem is real, and has been seeking relief for farmers in Brussels, where his voice carries weight after serving as president of the European Council from 2014-2019.

Tusk has said there are well over 20 million surplus tons of grain in storage in Europe, with 9 million tons in Poland alone.

“And the summer harvest hasn’t started yet,” Tusk said in late February. “We do not yet have the infrastructure that would allow this grain to be exported further.”

Adding to the anger of farmers across Europe are EU plans to fight climate change with policies called the Green Deal, which they say will create more administrative work and worsen financial burdens.

The calls of Europe’s farmers have grown increasingly strident even though the European Commission has relented to their pressure by rolling back some environmental requirements — despite warnings by scientists that agricultural production must become more environmentally sustainable in a period of climate change.

Paulina Sobiesiak-Penszko, a sociologist and agricultural expert at the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw, said the protests have become more radical, and asserted that they are being exploited by pro-Russian groups to drive an anti-Ukraine agenda.

What is being lost, she argued, is the necessity of addressing the climate crisis, which requires new agricultural policies, and the needs of consumers, who among other things would benefit from less pesticide use in farming.

“This voice of the consumers is not heard at all in the debate,” she said.

Korycki, as part of his work with a union representing farmers’ interests, is encouraging other farmers to vote in the June election for the European Parliament.

“All the problems start right there in the European Parliament,” he said. “We will try to make society aware so that the votes they cast will be well-thought-out and rational.”

He believes the most rational choice is Confederation, a right-wing party that is anti-EU and has been one of the loudest voices in Poland against Ukrainian imports.

Korycki said Confederation is the only party that seems to have answers to farmers’ problems. He acknowledges that the EU has spurred development in the agricultural sector but believes life overall has not improved for his family.

“Nothing comes for free,” he said of the EU. “What they gave us, they are now taking away.”

Sobiesiak-Penszko believes that the rising frustration of farmers indicates that policy makers did not make their case well enough to farmers during the years they were planning changes.

“Farmers are not prepared for changes,” she said. “They don’t understand the purpose and sense of the green transformation.”

Korycki finds himself hoping that the war in Ukraine will end soon so that the situation can stabilize for him and fellow farmers across this central European nation of 38 million people.

Beyond that, he doesn’t really have a plan. He has taken loans for equipment that must be repaid and says farming isn’t a profession a person can change on a whim.

“Generations have worked for this,” he said, sitting in the kitchen of his family home. “There are some sentimental and family values here, but also long-term obligations.”

 

[Plain Jane]

France's Senate rejects bill to ratify EU-Canada trade deal because of farmers' concerns

France’s Senate has voted overwhelmingly to reject legislation to ratify a 2017 trade deal between the European Union and Canada that has been criticized by farmers as fostering unfair competition from abroad.

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France’s Senate rejects bill to ratify EU-Canada trade deal because of farmers’ concerns​

Farmers gather Tuesday, March 12, 2024 outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France. For several months, farmers throughout Europe have been mobilizing to address local, national, and European concerns (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
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BY THOMAS ADAMSON
Updated 6:36 PM EDT, March 21, 2024

PARIS (AP) — France’s Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to reject legislation to ratify a 2017 trade deal between the European Union and Canada that has been criticized by farmers as bringing unfair competition from abroad.

The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, provisionally went into effect in September 2017 after all EU governments agreed to it, but its full implementation requires approval by each national parliament.

Thursday’s 211-44 vote in the Senate does not necessarily mean that France ultimately will reject ratification.

The vote sends the bill back to the powerful National Assembly, which had approved it in 2019 and can still move to override the Senate rejection and give final approval to the measure.

But Macron’s centrist alliance, which has advocated for the adoption of the CETA agreement, lost its majority at the lower house in 2022, making the outcome of a new vote uncertain.

If the Assembly should reject the legislation during its second vote, that would signal France’s failure to ratify and could unravel the EU trade deal.

In the Senate, opposition from both the conservative majority and leftist legislators centered on concerns about shielding local farmers from what they consider unfair competition and protecting France’s food sovereignty. The Assembly has not yet set a date to consider the legislation.

The ratification process across the European Union has been slow, with France and nine other EU countries, including Italy and Belgium, not yet giving their approval.



There have been significant increases in trade volume between the EU and Canada since the trade deal provisionally went into effect. From 2017 to 2023, trade between the two jumped by 51%, with French exports to Canada rising by 33%.

Despite these economic gains, CETA has faced criticism, including over its impact on European farmers and the environment. Critics argue it could undermine local agriculture and increase greenhouse gas emissions due to more transport of goods.

CETA aims to eventually eliminate nearly 99% of tariffs. It includes special recognition for certain European products like Agen prunes and Savoie reblochon.

The Senate’s rejection pressures the National Assembly, which only narrowly passed CETA in 2019. If France or any other EU member state definitively rejects the treaty, it could unravel, affecting the parts of the agreement already in operation.

French senators’ vote comes after farmers across France and Europe demonstrated on their tractors earlier this year in protests over low earnings, heavy regulation and what they call unfair competition from abroad, often criticizing free-trade agreements, including the CETA.

—-

AP Writer Sylvie Corbet contributed to the story

 

[mzkitty]

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