The great European Farmers Revolt is generating very real results after months of intense mobilization in many countries, with mass protests, roadblocks, attacks on cheap unregulated Ukrainian grain, blockade of ports, a veritable siege of the EU headquarters in Brussels with agricultural workers spraying liquid manure at the police and politicians.
Who doesn’t remember France’s Emmanuel Macron chased by farmers inside the Paris Agriculture Fair? Priceless.
Here at The Gateway Pundit, we have been closely following this process, trying to counter the MSM narrative and show how these protests are legitimate reactions against climate lunacy in the EU.
Now, for the second time, the European Commission has proposed striking down a series of ‘green’ rules on leaving land fallow or rotating crops.
The Commission, that is the EU executive branch, will send the proposals to the 27 EU member governments and the European Parliament.
Reuters reported:
“Commission proposals concentrate on offering farmers more flexibility in heeding mainly environmental rules, such as to protect peat land, limit water pollution and soil erosion, while continuing to benefit from EU agriculture fund payments.
For example, farmers will be able to get more financial support for keeping a share of their land non-productive, such as with hedges or trees, to improve biodiversity.
Farmers could carry out crop diversification, rather than crop rotation. Certain crop types could also be exempt from rules on tillage, soil cover or rotation.
In addition, exemptions could be granted in cases of adverse weather, while small farms of below 10 hectares (25 acres) would not have to be subject to controls or penalties.”
Of course, rather than an admission that the policies are idiotic, the EU is actually just maneuvering ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, in which the ‘far right’ (a.k.a. patriots and populists) is expected to make big gains.
Before this new round of ‘concessions,’ the EU had already set limits on imports of Ukrainian farm products, allowed exemptions to land needing to be left fallow, and also scrapped a plan to halve pesticide use.
As you would expect, the news angered the climate alarmists all over the old continent, who prided themselves that the EU was ‘in the global vanguard of fighting climate change’ – i.e., destroying its farming capabilities.
Associated Press reported:
“Politically, the [EU] bloc has moved rightward over the past year. The plight of farmers has become a rallying cry for populists and conservatives who claim EU climate and farm policies are little more than bureaucratic bungling from elitist politicians who have lost any feeling for soil and land. The Christian Democratic European People’s Party of von der Leyen has been among the most vocal and powerful in defending the farmers’ cause.”
They are only now learning to call it populism.
The Commission proposals have to be endorsed by the member states.
“Friday’s plans were the EU’s latest concessions in reaction to protests that have affected the daily lives of tens of millions of EU citizens and cost businesses tens of millions of euros due to transportation delays. Others have included shelving legislation on tighter pesticide rules and requirements to let some land lie fallow.
On top of the EU itself, member states have also caved in to several demands as the tractor protests shot up the political agenda. Complaints have centered on excessive bureaucracy, intrusive environmental rules and unfair competition from third countries, including Ukraine.”
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