Germany: Farmers kick off a week of protests, block roads to protest against subsidy cuts| Oneindia

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German farmers have kicked off a week of nationwide protests in response to plans to phase out agricultural diesel subsidies. Yet, not everyone believes the protests are justified.       #GermanyFarmersProtest #SubsidyCuts #AgriculturalProtest #FarmersRights #RoadBlockade #RuralProtest #FarmersSolidarity #AgriculturalSubsidies #ProtestAction #FarmersVoice #RuralConcerns #GovernmentPolicy #AgriculturalSupport #FairSubsidies #ProtestWeek #RuralLivelihoods #AgriculturalPolicy #FarmersUnity #SubsidyReduction #RuralDemands                 ~HT.178~PR.152~ED.102~GR.124~

Transcript

00:00 Every machine on Peter Keim's farm in the Haveland district near Berlin is powered by a diesel engine.

00:07 He and his employees manage a business with 1000 hectares of farmland and 170 dairy cows.

00:14 When he refuels his five tractors, it gets expensive. This tractor has a 480 litre tank.

00:21 So far, he has received around 21 cents per litre as a refund from the government.

00:27 We consume 120,000 litres of diesel per year and this agricultural diesel refund means a reimbursement of 25,000 euros for us.

00:40 This subsidy is supposed to be gradually reduced and discontinued by 2026.

00:46 But Keim and other farmers don't want to accept that and are protesting nationwide.

00:52 I have to protest because the impact is significant. If the proposed law comes into effect, it would truly be a severe cut for us.

01:02 This local demonstration is supposed to be just the beginning of more and bigger protests.

01:08 Farmers want to block highway ramps and paralyze entire cities.

01:12 I see in our family how tough it is to keep our business running. And if you don't have additional income, it becomes increasingly difficult.

01:24 If we lose the subsidy now, I really don't know how we'll make ends meet.

01:29 The younger generation is afraid. Many are asking, will we even get a job later on if the law is implemented as planned?

01:38 That's why I'm here to protest.

01:42 We already received fewer subsidies than four or five years ago and this planned cut really endangers our farms.

01:49 Agriculture subsidies are commonplace. German farmers receive around 300 euros from the EU budget per year and hectare.

01:57 The end of diesel subsidies would only account for 5% of all the subsidies farmers get, says agricultural economist Alfons Balmann.

02:05 He considers agricultural diesel subsidies outdated.

02:10 For agricultural businesses, these cuts are bearable. Farmers have earned very well in recent years.

02:18 Besides, they are relatively strong in equity, so they can actually cope with setbacks.

02:28 In capital-intensive agriculture, every penny matters, the farmers say. They fear they won't be able to compete with other EU countries.

02:37 Currently, only three EU countries have higher taxes on agricultural diesel than Germany, but 18 EU countries have lower taxes.

02:46 German farmers feel disadvantaged.

02:50 We produce our products such as bread wheat, barley, winter rapeseed at world market levels.

02:58 There's a world market price and if we have a production disadvantage due to the lack of diesel reimbursement, we cannot compete anymore.

03:11 No future without us. That's what the farmers are saying.

03:16 There are around 250,000 farms in Germany. The Haveland farmers hope that many others will join them on German streets this week.

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03:30 and update.

03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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