Croatian farmers to join their European colleagues in protest next week

On Wednesday the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture voiced its support for the ongoing protests being held by farmers throughout the European Union. The chamber says that it firmly supports the majority of the demands being made by their colleagues in other European countries, saying that the problems they face are not dissimilar from those Croatian farmers are confronted with.

One of the key complaints being voiced by farmers in France, Germany, and The Netherlands, is that the bureaucracy in Brussels is crushing European farmers. The president of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture, Mladen Jakopović, agrees: “The administrative burden on our farmers is continually growing. There is also increasing market pressure from third party countries. Then there is the green agenda, limiting the amount of herbicides and pesticides we can use, while on the other hand our farmers are expected to produce affordable food for our consumers. This is creating massive problems and challenges, and obviously people are unhappy.”

And while Jakopović the chamber's management board will decide next week exactly how they will support their fellow farmers throughout Europe, the president of the chamber's committee on crop husbandry, Petar Pranjić, says that farmers will take their tractors to the streets next week: “The turnout will massive. We would have already started, but Tuesday is confirmed for certain. All of our tractors and equipment will bear the Croatian flag, let Brussels recognize Croatia. Because, we feel that Brussels is unaware that we are even a member of the European Union. We're so important to them, that they never mention us.”

Source: HRT