Tractors against Brussels: why farmers are rioting in the EU
There were mass protests by farmers in the EU: they burned tires, rammed fences with tractors, pelted police with stones and eggs. The security forces responded with tear gas and water cannons. Farmers have accumulated a lot of complaints: from the green agenda to excessive bureaucracy. Against this background, Brussels is discussing the simplification of the import of products from Latin American countries. Whether the situation will become a catalyst for a broader economic and political crisis in the EU is discussed in the Izvestia article.
We won the battle, but not the war.
The events in Brussels on December 18 demonstrated a deep split within the European Union. Thousands of farmers from 27 countries blocked the European Quarter, protesting against the agreement with Mercosur, a trade bloc that includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
"We are here to say no to Mercosur," a farmer from Belgium, a participant in the rally, told reporters. He also suspected the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of trying to force a deal through.
The protests ended in clashes with the police. The security forces used water cannons and tear gas. In response, the farmers threw stones, potatoes and eggs at the police. Several tractors tried to break through the barriers set up to protect the buildings of the EU institutions. The riots ended only in the evening.
The EU has been negotiating with the South American association for the last 25 years. Currently, Mercosur countries have high import tariffs — up to 35% on cars and clothing, 14-18% on spare parts and up to 14% on pharmaceuticals. The essence of the agreement with the EU is to gradually reduce duties on about 90% of commodity items in mutual trade.
However, if the document is beneficial for industrial groups in the EU, since it opens up new sales markets, then everything turns out to be more difficult for farmers. There are several reasons. Firstly, the EU imports more agricultural goods from Mercosur countries than it exports. Secondly, South American producers operate according to different environmental standards, which creates unequal competition conditions.
So far, Brussels has taken a break — the signing of the document has been postponed until next year. "We need a few more weeks to resolve a number of issues with the member states, and we have contacted our Mercosur partners, agreeing to postpone the signing a little," said Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission.
The decision of the European Commission only opened a temporary window for further pressure and activation of opponents of the deal, political analyst Andrei Starikov said in a conversation with Izvestia. In this sense, farmers can record a small victory for themselves, but strategically the conflict has not disappeared anywhere.
The Green Agenda against farmers
Farmers' protests in the EU have already become commonplace. In 2023, they sought to curb the rise in prices for fuel and fertilizers, which were also imported from Russia. In 2024, large—scale actions were held in Poland against the import and transit of Ukrainian grain, sugar and meat.
The main problem is that European farmers have found themselves in the grip of conflicting requirements, Igor Rastorguev, a leading analyst at AMarkets, tells Izvestia.
— On the one hand, Brussels is tightening environmental regulations through a green deal, which increases production costs. On the other hand, they have to compete with imports from countries where there are no such restrictions," the expert notes.
The consequences are already being felt. Allianz Trade estimates that European farmers' incomes fell by 12-22% in 2022-2023, while retail food prices have increased by 43% since 2015.
"Agriculture accounts for only 1.3% of the EU's GDP, but it accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, which makes the sector a target of climate policy," states Rastorguev. — Add here the annual losses from extreme weather of 28 billion euros, and the picture becomes complete.
We are talking about the systemic problems of European agriculture and the common agricultural policy of the EU, which have been accumulating for decades, Andrei Starikov also explains in a conversation with Izvestia.
— Several factors are simultaneously pressing on the European Union: the global shift towards protectionism, the US tariff policy, China's export restrictions, as well as the formation of new trade blocs, including BRICS. The sanctions policy also played a significant role — the European industry lost cheap energy resources and stable supply chains," the political scientist listed.
Izvestia's interlocutors emphasize that arguments about quality and ecology are largely used to exert political pressure on voters. But the real question is the price. And European farmers will not be able to compete in terms of production costs. South American products benefit from economies of scale, cheap labor, and low costs.
The search for compromises
In February 2025, the European Commission presented a "Vision for the future of agriculture and Food," promising simplification of rules and digitalization, Rastorguev recalls. However, in his assessment, these measures look half-hearted against the background of fundamental contradictions in European politics.
— In order to remain competitive, the EU will either have to relax environmental requirements, or introduce mirror standards for imports, requiring partners to comply with the same standards. France and Italy have already opposed the agreement with Mercosur precisely for this reason, but Germany insists on signing the document for the sake of its automotive industry, the Izvestia interlocutor notes.
According to him, without drastic measures, European agriculture risks becoming an ornamental industry. Moreover, there is already a succession crisis in this area — only 12% of farmers are under 40 years old.
"If Brussels continues its policy of double standards, protecting domestic climate ambitions but opening the market to imports without similar requirements, European farmers simply will not be able to compete," the analyst warns. — This is a signal that the chosen development model is not working.
Already today, the EU agricultural sector relies heavily on subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy, Starikov also notes. He is convinced that the sustainability of this model is ensured solely by administrative barriers and high fees.
— This policy has been killing technology, management skills and production capacity for decades, especially in the new EU countries. In a closed market, the system was still functioning, but opening borders to cheap imports would make it unviable," he concludes.
Therefore, farmers' protests are not a temporary phenomenon, the expert predicts. The agricultural lobby in the EU is traditionally strong, well-organized and politically active. In such circumstances, conflicts will only intensify: from Brussels and Poland to the Baltic states.
"The agreement with Mercosur may lead to more serious consequences within the EU," he believes. — In this document, the interests of the industrial lobby, farmers and the weakening social base collide. Brussels will probably try to buy off new support funds, but the announced amounts are clearly insufficient amid falling prices and general budget pressures.
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