Spain
Over 500 tractors and 1000 milk producers demonstrated on August 12 in Lalin, northern Spain, demanding solutions for the dairy sector and higher milk prices. Milk producers - following the example of their French colleagues - are asking their government to ensure a minimum price for milk collection. According to demonstrators, current milk prices stand at 25 cents or lower, whereas production costs are over 33 cents. TV report LaSexta (in Spanish)
France
A few hundred farmers from different sectors (milk, pork, beef) demonstrated on August 13 before the prefecture of Calvados in Caen (Brittany), threatening to unload the dung from their trailers. Minister for Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll has proposed a round table at the end of the month to discuss once again with the sector's stakeholders. Article Le Monde an TV report France TV (in French)
Northern Ireland
About 50 farmers took part in the protest at Lidl's regional distribution centre in County Antrim (Northern Ireland) on Tuesday night, 11 August. The farmers have blocked lorries entering and leaving the supermarket depot in a protest over farm produce prices.
Germany
- Around 50 dairy farmers from BDM demonstrated in front of the cooperative in Rendsburg (Schleswig-Holstein) on August 12 to raise awareness about their difficult situation. With a milk price of 27 cents per litres, they feel that they are not well-represented by the cooperative. TV Report RTL Nord (in German)
- BDM "Tractor Rally": On August 24, BDM is setting off on a relay trip along 4 routes cutting across Germany. All the routes end in Munich, where a large demonstration is going to take place on September 1.
- On August 12, Green party politicians Maria Heubuch, Friedrich Ostendorff and Bernd Voß submitted a <link fileadmin dokumente press_release emb-allgemein download file>proposal to reduce production volumes of milk and porc. In terms of the milk market, they are looking to use the income from the finally discontinued super levy to finance a bonus for dairy cattle farms that have quickly reduced their milk production between 5 and 20 percent and have thus contributed to market relief. During this limited period for bonus payments, a levy should also be introduced for producers that increase their production by 5% or more within the same timeframe (cf. EP proposal of 13.03.2013).
