A crowd of around nine hundred tractors gathered in Brussels this Monday to protest near the European Union institutions. The demonstration expressed anger over falling incomes, environmental rules, administrative overhead, and trade agreements seen as unfavorable to farming livelihoods. The event took place on the eve of a meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers in the Belgian capital, where officials were discussing responses to growing rural concerns voiced by farmers from member states.
Along the central avenue of the European district, Rue de la Loi, hundreds of tractors formed a long procession that began early in the morning and blocked traffic near the EU Council. A short distance away, some protesters set tires and bales of straw on fire, and threw firecrackers and fruit at the outer walls of the community buildings.
The burning of tires and straw led to small, controlled fires. Firefighters contained the flames promptly, while some demonstrators booed and tried to hinder the firefighting efforts.
A spokesperson for the European Peasant Way coalition, Morgan Ody, said farmers are angry because they work hard, produce essential food, and do not earn a living from it. This sentiment underpinned the decision to return to Brussels with renewed urgency. The protest also united several farming groups, including the Young Farmers Federation, the Union Federation of Breeders and Farmers, the Walloon Agricultural Federation, the Peasant Action Movement, and Boerenforum.
Ody highlighted the main demands: to halt pending trade agreements such as the one between the European Union and Mercosur, and to establish a minimum price floor that covers production costs. She emphasized that the goal is not to scrap environmental standards, but to pursue sustainable production that can address climate change and biodiversity crises without compromising farmers’ livelihoods.
Organizers stressed that the aim is to secure sustainable farming practices while ensuring fair support and protection for farmers worldwide. The protest in the heart of Brussels also included moments of tension between police and some participants. Some farmers threw glass bottles and firecrackers at law enforcement, who responded with water cannons and tear gas to maintain the perimeter around the main European institutions.