As Brussels brushes itself off after Thursday's invasion of 1,300 tractors that took the capital by storm, city life resumes with a sense that the circus has left town.
Yesterday's protest certainly made an impression, with public opinion divided between recognising farming as key to national survival whilst others were incensed by the dismantling of a statue outside the European Parliament. As so often with mass demonstrations, fringe acts of public disorder quickly colour the general perception of the movement.
Having been to the protests myself, I can attest to the din: air cannons and fire-crackers made sure that anyone in the area took notice of the unusual occupants (in case they had missed the armada of hulking four-wheelers packing every street). Then again, it was hardly a war zone, as some commentators who weren't there tried to make out.
Adding to the noise was the breadth of demands being made. As discussed in this week's previous Briefs, the show of unity within the agricultural community belies the range of activities within the sector. Whilst Thursday's actions took aim at EU regulations that afflict growers of all kinds and nationalities, their anger is today turning back to targets closer to home.
In Belgium this means blocking the distribution hubs of supermarkets, which unions mark out as guilty of a race to the bottom by promoting the consumer habit to buy the cheapest food rather than products that give a fairer deal to farmers. It's a valid concern, with household food budgets plummeting in just a few generations.
Where today, EU households spend an average of 14% of disposable income on food and non-alcoholic drinks, this was around one-third of spending 50 years ago. With this change has come a shift in how we interact with what we eat, the produce of the fields transformed, packaged and, trucked into retail spaces that pay no homage to the primary producer. The overall experience keeps farming out of sight.
This disconnect plays a part in yesterday's shock factor and working out a fairer deal will likely take generations to achieve. But patience is wearing thin. Do you feel for the farmers? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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