Farmer Protests in the EU

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  • Whilst not at all well covered in the UK media there are a number of farmer protests ongoing in Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain and even Germany. They are protesting against the latest EU directives to reduce Nitrogen and Ammonia levels in soil resultant from fertilisers and cattle urine. The plan is to reduce the farming output of these nations by around 50% to meet EU environmental targets. The consequences of this policy are not hard to figure out, mass redundancy of farmers and associated transport and food processing industries and food shortages not just for the countries concerned but also for us in the UK and elsewhere as these farming activities contribute significantly to the food store of Europe.

    I found this well informed news piece from Sky News Australia who are not afraid to report this. I know there has been some coverage on the BBC but they are talking about the mis-behaviour of the farmers rather than why.

    I think this is very concerning because there is no published plan for what will be done to maintain food supplies should these plans actually be implemented as the EU intends.

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  • I think BJ’s policy of re-wilding needs to change as a matter of urgency. This country should learn to be as self-sufficient in food supply as possible.

    Did we learn nothing from WWII?

  • I think BJ’s policy of re-wilding needs to change as a matter of urgency. This country should learn to be as self-sufficient in food supply as possible.

    Did we learn nothing from WWII?

    One of the many Boris (and his wife) driven green policies. Farmers actually paid to leave the land fallow and give prosecutory powers to the Environment Agency if any crops are grown. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous?

    Boris's eco-fanaticism is what I detested about him most of all. All these environmental policies need another looking at and reversal where it is damaging to the economy, food or energy supply or the security of supply until the technologies to finally retire current solutions are sufficiently mature, widespread and cost effective.

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  • I think BJ’s policy of re-wilding needs to change as a matter of urgency. This country should learn to be as self-sufficient in food supply as possible.

    Make up your mind. Not long ago you where happy to do trade deals abroad and import shit. I have been banging on about becoming self sufficient for ages. But to do this we also need to get rid of some people and make space to bring back housing with gardens and give the people better wages and less working time so they can afford to have one family member stay home and look after house and kids and also have time to have a garden or space for allotments and plant some veggies. It would also reduce the obesity and diabetes problem cutting down on supermarket pre packaged crap and fast foods and bring back community spirit and friendliness, less crime and many number of other benefits We need to go back to the 1950's.

  • Make up your mind. Not long ago you where happy to do trade deals abroad and import shit. I have been banging on about becoming self sufficient for ages. But to do this we also need to get rid of some people and make space to bring back housing with gardens and give the people better wages and less working time so they can afford to have one family member stay home and look after house and kids and also have time to have a garden or space for allotments and plant some veggies. It would also reduce the obesity and diabetes problem cutting down on supermarket pre packaged crap and fast foods and bring back community spirit and friendliness, less crime and many number of other benefits We need to go back to the 1950's.

    I agree that a slower pace of life is required. The drive for efficiency is a good thing, up to a point, but after that it just becomes about greed and benefits employers rather consumers. As government has stretched its tentacles further into every aspect of our lives and produced ever more regulation with social responsibilities placed on the employer it just drives the cost of everything up and that creates further incentive for even more efficiency. You can see how the drive for efficiency lead to the topic of this thread. It was this quest to get ever increasing yields from crops that spurred on the development of the fertilisers that are now causing the environmental damage. If the accountants hadn't been moaning about the yields and demanding better we would not be in this situation.

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  • Make up your mind. Not long ago you where happy to do trade deals abroad and import shit. I have been banging on about becoming self sufficient for ages.

    I still am, Norra, but I have always been of the view that this country should be self sufficient in food.

  • Here's an interesting article on the subject from the UK Farmers Weekly publication...

    Dutch farmer protests against emissions cuts spread across EU - Farmers Weekly
    Dutch farmer protests over government policies and rising “agflation” destroying their businesses have spread to more European countries. The farmers are
    www.fwi.co.uk

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  • Ooh, this is a good meaty topic.

    First of all, I don't disagree with the EU on this. On the problem that is.

    Fertilisers are polluting our soils and things do need to change, otherwise our soil will get to such a state that nothing will grow in it. But the solution by the EU seems brutal. Surely, there must be other options. :/

    I agree we need to become much more self sufficient in food, but I still think we need to have more wild areas in nature to encourage the bees and buterflies to pollinate the very food we want to grow, so there needs to be a balance here.

    But as also mentioned, we need to grow our own food too, something I'm actively thinking about for next year. Nothing will beat what comes out of your own garden, as opposed to something that has been shipped hundreds, possibly thousands of miles to our plates.

  • The Farmers Weekly article I linked to said that the farmers options are as follows:

    While plans are not yet fully developed, the government has outlined five basic options for the farming sector:

    • Invest in technology to achieve cleaner livestock housing
    • Move to more “circular agriculture”, with reduced stocking rates
    • Adjust the business model with mandatory livestock reductions
    • Accept funding to relocate farm businesses to new areas
    • Face mandatory purchases of farms, leading to closures

    The above is given a 12 month window to act which I don't think is anywhere near enough time. This all boils down to volume of food produced but in a way which doesn't create the nitrogen and ammonia issues. I suspect that alternative fertilisers could eventually be produced but since the crops respond to the nitrogen based in the fertilisers it is hard to see how an alternative would achieve the same effect. Maybe this will open the door to genetically modified crops once again, this time crops that don't require nitrogen based fertilisers, I guess this would be an ethical use of GM technology. I know that people were not keen on eating GM food previously when it was being made insect and disease resistant but maybe when faced with starving they will be more amenable.

    Or...maybe this will be the way in which we are all introduced to eating bugs?

    Regarding the ammonia in the cattle urine I have no knowledge, the issue is letting it soak into the soil so perhaps the grazing pastures need to be isolated from the water table, or change what the cattle drink to minimise the ammonia, or make cattle nappies which need to be changed every day, or keep the cattle on concrete hardstandings and feed them grass without the grazing pastures. It doesn't seem insurmountable.

    Celebrate it, Anticipate it, Yesterday's faded, Nothing can change it, Life's what you make it

  • Here is Russell Brands take on the situation, very interesting and more than a little concerning...

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  • Just thought I would post an update on what’s going on. The Dutch government are about to shutdown 3000 farms to comply with EU emissions targets. Apparently a similar move is planned in Germany. I really think this is far more concerning than it’s being given credit for. There are no plans for an alternative strategy other than import food from elsewhere, that will be the same elsewhere that we buy our food from so it doesn’t take a genius to work out what will happen, demand will go up, prices will rise and shortages will occur. Their plan is to deagricultureise Europe to save the planet. We are headed for the dark ages, no power, no fuel, no industry, no agriculture, no food, swarming with illegal migrants. Someone tell me I’m exaggerating please.

    Netherlands to Close Up to 3,000 Farms to Comply With EU Rules
    I am reproducing the entire article since it is behind a paywall. I have bolded the most important parts. This is serious. The G20 came out in support of…
    www.organicconsumers.org

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  • No, this is no exaggeration, Armitage, it is deadly serious. Another good reason why it was a good decision to pull out of the EU.

    Now we must ensure that our government does not do the same. We must increase, not decrease production, but we need to take care of the environment at the same time. That’s what the government should be focussing on.

    If they think everyone’s going to accept going vegan, they’ve another think coming.

  • No, this is no exaggeration, Armitage, it is deadly serious. Another good reason why it was a good decision to pull out of the EU.

    Now we must ensure that our government does not do the same. We must increase, not decrease production, but we need to take care of the environment at the same time. That’s what the government should be focussing on.

    If they think everyone’s going to accept going vegan, they’ve another think coming.

    When there is no meat available you WILL go vegan. That is how this is being presented to you. We won't get to vote on this because they already know the answer so democracy is not an option for them.

    Celebrate it, Anticipate it, Yesterday's faded, Nothing can change it, Life's what you make it

  • We won't get to vote on this because they already know the answer so democracy is not an option for them.

    Yep our government have no say on the matter. We're back to the WEF and this is another reason why they need to be stopped. It's a world agenda and much of it not in our benefit.

    I don't have any pets so can I eat my laptop and become a cyborg. 8o or just be assimilated into the borg.

  • There’s a thread for the WEF. Personally, I think this is getting more attention than it deserves.

    The whole idea that farting cows are causing global warming is so ridiculous it should feature in a comedy show. Animals were here before us, remember?

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