Agmates Editor Steve Truman writes:
Governments World wide are finding they need to be very careful about the policies and legislations introduce that impact upon their farmers. Governments are discovering that it’s citizens are incredibly sensitive to food security.
Argentina
Striking farmers are using tractors to blockade roads nationwide in a bitter 100 day stand off with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez. The blockades have lead to shortages of eggs, chicken, beef in supermarkets and fuel across the country.
Picture #1 - Argentine farmers line up tractors and blockade roads across the country.
In March President Fernandez raised Soy export taxes on farmers by 10% to a whopping 42%. Since then farmers and protesters lead by the very powerful farmers organization Argentine Rural Society have blockaded roads and streets across the country.
President Fernandez, who took office just six months ago, has likened the farmers to ‘Coup Leaders’ who are attempting to overthrow her government in an ‘Economic Coup’. President Fernandez’s has seen her voter approval rating plummet from over 50% before the dispute to just 20%.
Argentina’s accounts for nearly 3 percent of global food exports and it is one of the world’s top exporters of soy, corn, wheat and beef.
An estimated 3-4 million Argentines took to the streets on Monday to protest against the government’s handling of a tense three-month standoff with farmers over export taxes.
There are fears that the ongoing dispute will force Argentina Latin America’s No. 3 economy into recession.
Spain
Thursday the 19th June. Thousands of Spanish farmers protest in Madrid against fuel price hikes. Soaring costs and low prices for the produce are driving them out of business. Spanish farmers are demanding lower diesel tax to cope with record fuel prices.
Spaniards are facing fuel and food shortages as a result of a nationwide strike by the country’s truck drivers who are supporting farmers in the protest against high fuel prices.
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Belgium
Earlier this month Dairy Farmers for the 1st time in Europe banded together in a milk delivery boycott that saw large supermarkets run out of milk.
German dairy farmers began a protest action to secure higher prices for their produce. The farmers were paid 35cents a litre which was well below their cost of production and they were going broke. Farmers all over the country poured milk down drains in a boycott of dairy factories.
Swiss farmers, too, poured milk down the drains in support strike action demanding an increase for higher farm- gate prices.
Similar declaration of solidarity had come from counterparts in Belgium after Germans appealed to farmers outside Germany not to fill the shortfall. The German farmers were demanding a farm-gate price of 40 euro cents (62 dollar cents) a litre for milk.
It was estimated that 70,000 of Germany’s 100,000 dairy farms joined the boycott. The farmers blamed powerful dairy companies for depressing the farm-gate price of milk. They said they are being choked by increased costs, namely the rise in the price of fuel.
The Boycott ended after 10 days when large Supermarket chains agreed to increase farm gate prices by 10 cents for producers.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Have Your say!