Belgian farmers to protest

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 15

Belgian farmers to protest

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BRUSSELS, March 21. Thousands of angry Belgian farmers will take to the streets in Brussels on Tuesday in a massive demonstration for higher Common Market farm prices.

The farmers’ protest, timed to coincide with a crucial meeting of European Economic Community agriculture ministers due to fix farm prices for 1971-1972, will be the climax of recent demonstrations by farmers in Belgium and other Common Market countries.

Community farm prices have been unchanged for three years while other industrial and professional workers have received substantial wage increases. On too of this, farmers’ incomes are being eroded by the rapid rate of inflation. The ministers who will meet on Monday and Tuesday to fix prices in time for the start of the new season on April 1, will consider price oroposals from the European Commission. These provide for selective increases on some products of 5 per cent, and have been rejected outright by farmers’

organisations in most member countries of the E.E.C. Already young farmers from Liege have given ministers graphic proof their dislike of the Commission’s proposals by herding three bewildered cows into the ministers’ debating chamber last month.

Last week, police in the Ardennes town of Bastogne used tear-gas and watercannon when a protest rally of 7000 farmers from southern Belgium and adjoining areas of Europe and Luxembourg got out of hand. The quandry facing Common Market farming is that its prices are already too high. But because farming methods are inefficient, farms too small and fanners too numerous, most are condemned to at most marginal profitability. The European Commission Vice-President and top farm expert. Dr Sicco Mansholt, told the European Parliament recently that only about 20 per cent of Community farms matched up to the commission’s concept of modern enterprises. Dr Mansholt and the commission are insisting that ministers can only grant price increases as part of a package which includes reform measures to modernise E.E.C. farming.

Dr Mansholt is aware that any increase in farm prices, particularly in surplus sectors, will mean more support payments from the Community’s farm fund, thereby increasing Britain’s “entrance fee” for joining the Common Market.

But the farmers’ lobby also knows that Britain’s entry would be a major factor in favour of price stability in this sector. For this reason they feel that time is running out and this year may be their last chance to gain major increases.

The Community farmers’ organisation (C.0.P.A.) is also doing its bit to put pressure on the ministers. Its annual meeting is on Tuesday in the same building used for E.E.C. ministerial sessions. But the ministers* talks next week have been moved to another part of town “for security reasons,” officials said. The 1200 delegates expected to attend the C.O.P.A. meeting will also take part in the Belgian farmers’ protest march. The West German Government is putting in a strong bid for higher prices and has indicated that it will resort to other methods of supplementing the farmers’ incomes if the results of the min-

isters’ discussions are not satisfactory. Next week’s ministerial discussions will be particularly tough because the individual member States are far apart on what prices they want increased and by how much.

West Germany and the Netherlands want increased food grain prices but France is against this and wants the Six to push up beef prices instead. Luxembourg is aligned with the Netherlands and West Germany while Belgium takes the middle ground, pressing for an increase for dairy products. It is supported in this by France. But Italy, in sharp contrast to the other five, is taking a tough stand against any price increases because of their inflationary impact. It is only prepared to agree to them as part of a package deal including reform measures which would directly benefit its backward regions. Because of these divisions, observers are already forecasting a marathon session for the ministers. At the same time Brussels police are bracing themselves for what, judging from previous experience, might be a busy day on- Tuesday,