EUROPEAN UNION: European farmers to get 500 million euros in emergency aid | Progresiv
European Union farmers reeling from plunging agriculture prices will get 500 million euros in emergency aid under a relief package from the European Commission. 
EU agricultural ministers endorsed the package in Brussels, with the commission urging that funds be made available immediately. More than 6,000 farmers and 2,000 tractors converged on Brussels, industry groups said, with protesters blocking streets and marching toward the EU headquarters.
Plummeting prices for milk, meat, fruit and vegetables have spurred losses for farmers across Europe, according to Brussels- based farm lobby Copa-Cogeca. Russia’s ban on food imports from the EU, slowing demand from China and an oversupply of milk and pig meat have contributed to the collapse. The measures are aimed at addressing cash-flow issues and stabilizing markets, the commission said.
The relief package “is a significant, fast and concrete response to the current situation,” European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen told reporters.
European milk prices have fallen about 20 per cent in the past year, while prices paid for pigs are about 16 per cent lower, industry data show. The commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed that aid be targeted at the bloc’s member nations most affected by the crisis and said countries can pay farmers as much as 50 per cent of their regular direct subsidies in mid-October instead of in December.
Protests have erupted across Europe this summer in response to falling agriculture prices. British farmers raided supermarkets, emptying shelves of milk, and their French counterparts recently blockaded parts of Paris with tractors. (www.esmmagazine.com)
