Far-right parties are trying to "cash in on farmers' anger" at protests but are offering "no solutions", according to campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO).
Roughly 500 tractors and 1,200 individuals took part in a protest in Brussels on Tuesday, the latest in a series of demonstrations held by European farmers campaigning for changes to agricultural and environmental policies.
However, many European farming associations distanced themselves from this week's protest, as it was attended by more hard-line farming associations and groups affiliated with the far-right.
Groups in attendance included the Farmers Defence Force, which celebrated Geert Wilders' (PVV/ID) government deal in the Netherlands, France's Coordination Rurale, which is closely linked to the National Rally (ID), and Spain's Plataforma 6F, which has close links to Vox (ECR).
In a statement relating to the protest on Tuesday, CEO noted that the speakers list for the event was also "dominated by the far-right".
The line-up included politicians from the Polish Law and Justice (PiS) and Confederation (Konfederacji) parties, Belgium's Vlaams Belang, and Dutch Forum for Democracy.
CEO is a non-profit organisation that scrutinises lobbying and influence in EU policymaking, also noted that the protest was promoted by MCC Brussels, a think tank linked to right wing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Órban.
Neither far-right or centre right 'will protect livelihoods of farmers'
The campaign group criticised current EU agricultural and environmental policy and the "neoliberal agenda" of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her centre right European People's Party (EPP), but said that far-right parties will not offer anything different.
Nina Holland, researcher and campaigner at CEO, said that while Tuesday's speakers' list was "dominated by far-right or ultra-nationalist parties", in countries where the far-right is already in power such as Hungary or Italy, "they are failing farmers with the same bad policies that serve neither farmers nor the environment".
CEO said that while both EPP and far-right parties are courting the rural vote in this weekend's elections, "neither will really protect the livelihoods and wellbeing of most farmers".
João Camargo, campaigner and researcher at CEO warned that the situation leading to farmer protests has not passed, and "will aggravate in the upcoming years.
"The highly intensive agricultural model is simply impossible to maintain. The social and environmental crisis we are currently in will demand a true response," he said.
Greens criticise far right event 'disguised as farmers protest'
Separately, the European Greens also came out this week to criticise what they called a "mainly far-right event... trying to disguise itself as a 'farmers' protest'".
European Green Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) Bas Eickhout said that the far-right has been "feeding farmers with the lie that Europe, and the Green Deal, are to blame for their hardship", and that a "small segment of the farmers have adopted those lies and sided with the far-right".
"We are willing to work with all the farmers who are operating within the framework of democracy. We are here to offer real solutions, like changing the fact that 80% of Europe’s subsidies currently go to the 20% richest farms," he said, adding that his party is open to dialogue with mainstream farmers' unions but not with far-right activists who were in Brussels on Tuesday.
Fellow European Greens Spitzenkandidat Terry Reintke added that her party is "fighting for a fair deal for farmers today and a green deal for the future", including climate policies to avert extreme weather events, supports for farmers to transition to new models, and overhauling subsidy systems to benefit smaller farms over big agro-industry.
'Fake accusations'
In a statement to The Brussels Times regarding Tuesday's protest, 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.
