Tractors are expected to once again track manure through the streets of Brussels on Tuesday, the latest in a series of farmer protests that have caused significant disruption in the Belgian and de facto European capital.
However, this protest is expected to be attended by only the more hard-line farming associations and groups with affiliated with the far-right. Many of Belgium's more mainstream farming organisations have told The Brussels Times that they will not be in attendance.
One of the main driving forces behind Tuesday's protest is the Farmers Defence Force (FDF), a Dutch group founded in 2019 by farmer Mark van den Oever to fight against the occupation of a pig farm by animal rights activists. The group also has a Belgian branch.
Also promoting this week's protest is right-wing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbàn's policy think tank MCC Brussels, which has reportedly been involved in organising widespread farmer protests in the run-up to the EU elections.
In a statement to The Brussels Times, a spokesperson for MCC Brussels said assertions that the right wing is organising farmer protests are "fake accusations".
"Farmers are very capable of organising their own protests -it is patronising to suggest others are behind their democratic attempts to have their voices heard," he said, noting that most farmers the think tank has met are "apolitical" and would welcome support and dialogue with any political party.
"A more honest take would be that left and green politicians find themselves in such bondage to green NGO's that they cannot stand with farmers as opposed to the farmers seeking out a right-wing support," he added.
He said that MCC has attended farmer protests across Europe and held public meetings in Brussels on the issue with the aim of educating the public on the nuances of what has often been simplified to a "farming vs environment" debate.
In particular relating to the protest on Tuesday, FDF has outlined its demands, first and foremost that the EU Green Deal in its current form be scrapped.
The organisation has also said it opposes imports of agri-food products from outside the EU, is against any restrictions on the livestock farming and breeding sector, and demands the "absolute protection" of the right to use private property.
According to the FDF website, speakers scheduled to appear at the protest this afternoon include a representative from the centre right German Christian Democratic Union Party (the FDF have suggested that this could be Ursula von der Leyen), as well as Belgian MEP Tom Vandendriessche of far-right Vlaams Belang, and "secret guest high-ranking speakers" from the right-wing Polish PiS party.
While FDF is hoping for a strong turn out on Tuesday (albeit not the 100,000 it originally said it was aiming for back in April), major Belgian farming associations have confirmed that they will not be officially attending the protest.
FWA says timing of protest 'not appropriate'
The Walloon Federation of Agriculture (FWA) is the largest farming association in Wallonia, that represents around a third of the region's farmers. A spokesperson for the association said it will not be taking part in today's protest, as "the timing is not very appropriate".
"The Fédération Wallonne de l'Agriculture will not be taking part in tomorrow's agricultural demonstrations for two reasons: the delay in agricultural work due to the weather, and the approach of the elections, which means that the timing is not very appropriate: too late to convince the current government to change its policy and too early to explain our arguments to the next one," she said.
A farmer throws a tire at a protest action in the European district in Brussels, organized by several agriculture unions from Belgium but also other European countries on Thursday 01 February 2024. Credit: Belga/Dirk Waem
The FWA did note that several major changes have already been initiated thanks to farmer demonstrations earlier this year.
"We obviously hope that the next elections will bring to power people who are aware of the realities on the ground and the difficulties experienced by farmers," she said.
Flemish group opts for 'dialogue'
Boerenbond is the largest farmers association across Flanders and East Belgium, with its 16,000 members representing around three-quarters of all Flemish farmers. A spokesperson for Boerenbond said that the association won't be in attendance on Tuesday.
She said that Boerenbond has "opted for a strategy of dialogue to amplify the voice of the farmer", but that the association expresses its support for any individual who "chooses to represent the voice of the farmer in a respectful and dignified manner".
She added that Boerenbond has organised a number of farmer demonstrations in recent months across Flemish provinces, in response to an "overwhelming surge of regulations, the absence of legal certainty - exemplified by the stringent nitrogen regulations that severely impede permit acquisition - and the demand for increased incomes".
She said that following these demonstrations, farmers were invited to participate in policy discussions and it resulted in new measures and legislation, as well as agriculture emerging as a "significant theme in the electoral discourse" for the first time in many years.
However, she added that there "remains a substantial amount of work to be accomplished" for the agriculture sector, and in the run up to the elections this weekend Boerenbond is continuing to advocate for a European Farmer's Deal to prioritise food production, and for concerns related to legal certainty, sustainable income, and access to agricultural land to be addressed.
The Flemish General Farmers‘ Syndicate (ABS) has indicated that it will participate in Tuesday's demonstration. "With our participation, we want to show that the willingness to take action remains unchanged," the ABS said in an announcement on Monday.
FDF was contacted for comment.
