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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Sunday, 27.04.2025, 19:10

Baltic farmers to drive Soviet-era tractor to Brussels in protest

Nina Kolyako, BC, Riga, 12.09.2012.Print version
In protest against the unfair direct payments, farmers' organizations will drive a Soviet-era tractor to Brussels in mid-November, said Latvian Agricultural Cooperative Association's representative Uldis Krievars.

"Either a Soviet-era "Belaruss" or a "T14" will be driven to Brussels from Tallinn, which will take at least ten days. We are planning that the tractor will also visit Valmiera, Riga and Bauska, where farmers will on respective days hold protests against the direct payments. We have reached agreement with our colleagues in Estonia and Tallinn on organization of the campaign," said Krievars.

 

The goal is to attract Brussels bureaucrats and European residents' attention to the deplorable situation of the Baltic farmers due to the small direct payments, writes LETA.

 

Also, Farmers' Saeima head Maira Dzelzkaleja said, speaking with Nozare.lv about possible protests this year, that they would depend on how things evolved in Brussels.

 

"If the European Union's budget is approved already this year and the direct payments question will not be solved in favor, we will not organize any more protests. If review of the budget is postponed, we will plan further campaigns that could take place in the spring," said Dzelzkaleja.

 

As reported, Latvia wants Brussels to introduce fair direct payments to farmers, stipulating that the lowest payments must constitute at least 80 percent of the average amount of the EU direct payments already in 2014. At the moment, Latvian farmers receive the smallest direct payments in the EU, LVL 63 per hectare or less, while the average figure in Europe is EUR 266 or LVL 186 per hectare.

 






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