00:00 Braving temperatures below freezing, farmers protested across Germany and nearly all 16
00:05 federal states.
00:07 Five hundred tractors were counted at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin's government district,
00:11 with city centres blocked with farm equipment in Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Bremen too.
00:17 Outside of these major hubs, slow-moving farm vehicles blocked motorway ramps, causing major
00:23 traffic delays nationwide.
00:25 Scrambling to fill a 17 billion euro funding gap in the 2024 budget, Chancellor Olaf Scholz'
00:30 coalition are targeting agricultural subsidies.
00:35 We consume 120,000 litres of diesel per year and this agricultural diesel refund of 21
00:41 cents amounts to 25,000 euros for us.
00:46 The initial plan was to axe the subsidy entirely but was modified last week in the face of
00:51 backlash to cut the subsidy by 40% in 2024 and end it only in 2026.
00:57 Farmers are also set to lose their vehicle tax discount.
01:00 I want to make it clear that we need to take decisions in this area and that means removing
01:07 subsidies which have been heavily criticised for many, many years as part of a very carefully
01:13 considered review.
01:14 This is what the federal government has just proposed.
01:20 After a court ruling blocked measures in the 2024 budget, an air traffic tax hike and cuts
01:25 to social benefits are also in the visor.
01:28 Far-right opposition party AfD have taken up the cause of the farmers, some of whom
01:32 were flying the party's flag and calling for snap elections.
01:36 Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck warned that the protests were at risk of being hijacked
01:41 by dangerous ethnic nationalist extremists.
01:44 Monday's industrial action also coincided with lorry drivers striking against increased
01:49 tolls.
01:50 Likely to compound the disruption are the railway strikes scheduled for Wednesday.
Comments