Czech farmers gathered at border crossings to protest EU agriculture policies, bureaucracy, and business conditions. They oppose EU environmental policies like the Green Deal, which restrict chemical use and greenhouse gas emissions, making their products more expensive compared to non-EU imports. Farmers also decry low product prices and competition from imports, particularly from Ukraine and Latin America.
They joined colleagues from Germany, Poland, and Slovakia at various border points. Participants hailed from 10 EU countries, spanning Central Europe to the Baltics and the Balkans. The protest centered around the Czech-Slovak border crossing of Hodonin-Holic, where hundreds of tractors blocked traffic.
Farmers sought support from Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Vyborny, Slovak counterpart Richard Takac, and representatives from Poland and Hungary. Andrej Gajdos from the Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food emphasized that the protest targets European Commission decisions, not the EU itself.
