Not only India, Poland, Spain, and France are also experiencing farmers' protest. Why so?

India is witnessing protests from farmers, but the story is not unique to India only. Last month, Europe also saw a similar situation. Farmers in Europe have kickstarted tractor protests for hours in Europe. A multi-day siege of the Parisian streets has also been held. Moreover, in the protests, manure was sprayed on the French buildings. Situations went worse when eggs were thrown at the European Parliament. The protests went aggressive when a statue of a British industrialist was toppled in Brussels. Farmers are in agitation, and protests of farmers are all over Spain, Greece, Poland, and Germany. The frustrating factors for farmers were the weather changes and supply disruptions led by war. The green policies of the European Union have also added fuel to the anger.

The protests

Farmers from a total of nine countries were participants in the protest. These countries include Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Lithuania, Portugal, and Romania. The frustration was first seen in the year 2019 when the roads were blocked by Dutch farmers. The protest was against the novel limitations on the nitrogen emissions of the farms. In the year 2023, the crossing was blocked by Polish farmers to urge to government to revive the previously lifted policies after the invasion of Russia on Ukraine in the year 2022. In Germany, around 10,000 farmers rallied against the fuel subsidy cuts in the mid of January. This sparked the fire to protest in other areas too.

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What are the reasons behind these protests?

Experts suggest that the protests at present are actually the manifestation of "buildup of resentment." The chief factors that triggered this aggression among farmers towards the government are the green regulations, weather, and war. The supply chains were severely disrupted by the invasion of Russia. The Russian invasion also contributed to a surge in energy costs.

Climate change is also something that is bothering farmers. Constant water shortage, droughts, soil erosion, and erratic weather are adding more to the woes. About 20 percent of the annual farm revenue has been burnt in Greece due to wildfire, leading to more stress and frustration among the suffering food producers.

German farmers are against the plan of the government to delay the tax breaks on diesel just to balance the budget. This, however, increase the production costs. Pesticide bans and cheap imports has been the story in France. Additionally, a total of 47 demands have been submitted by Romania, which is the European Union nation with the largest number of farmers.

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