Regional protest actions have occurred in several parts of Germany, following the Dec. 18 national rally at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The largest protest action so far was staged in Stuttgart yesterday, with over 2,000 tractors from all over the state of Baden-Württemberg, some as far away as the Black Forest, Lake Constance and Kaiserstuhl. Many farmers also protested by dumping manure heaps at various points along their route into the city. Traffic jams paralyzed the A8 highway over a distance of 10 km.
At the rally, the Baden-Württemberg state farmers association declared the protest as not being directed against the state government, which supports the farmers, but kept its focus on demanding for the Federal government to withdraw its tax increase plans. The Federal proposals would put an enormous burden of around €1 billion a year on domestic agriculture. Farms’ income losses could be up to 10%. The Green and CCU state parliamentary groups in Baden-Württemberg have already sided with the farmers and support their demands.
