Thousands of dairy farmers from all over Germany rallied in Berlin on Wednesday to protest the low prices they receive from major dairies and supermarket chains. Twenty tractors lined up in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate as the crowd, including many young farm workers, listened to speeches from dairy farm representatives.
Posters and banners at the rally testified to the militancy of farmers. They made clear that the current pricing policies of the major food retailing chains and the European Union were threatening the livelihoods of thousands of German small and middle-sized farmers.
Speakers at the rally brought solidarity greetings to the rally from farmers in France, Switzerland and Holland, making clear that the problem of increased production costs and declining returns was a pan-European problem. Prices paid to European Union farmers for milk have fallen by around 30 percent during the past six months, while the farmers’ production costs have risen dramatically. More
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