Protests continue as EU warned over nature laws

Europe has witnessed more protests by farmers angry about proposed agricultural policy reform, as the issue becomes ever more contentious in the run-up to June's European Parliament elections.

Crowds demonstrated in the Spanish city of Valencia on the weekend, drawn together by a coordinating movement called 6F that has emerged from the protests. There were also protests in Lodz in Poland, where banners were seen that carried the slogan 'Polexit', a reference to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the bloc that became known as Brexit.

The demonstrations came days after an open letter was published, signed by research scientists at some of Europe's top universities, that warned that the EU's planned nature restoration law must be enacted in partnership with farmers, or it will fail.

At December 2022's COP15 biodiversity negotiations, the EU championed moves that included the reform of farming subsidies and restrictions on the use of pesticides, but they have not been well-received. And the letter, signed by researchers from the University of Oxford, ETH Zurich in Switzerland, and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, spells out a harsh reality.

"At no point in history has there been more pressure on farmers," it said. "They are responsible for feeding an ever-growing population. And now we want them to save us all from the global climate and biodiversity crises, at the same time as market forces keep making the financial situation harder.

"We desperately need land to support a resilient agricultural sector. We need our policies to empower farmers to be the heroes we need them to be. But to do this, we are also going to need to save space for nature."

Issues such as the cost of living crisis and cheaper food imports from Ukraine have prompted farmers' protests in recent months, with concern growing that far-right parties, that are predicted to increase their share of the vote during the election, are weaponizing the issue.

Some EU member states have already withdrawn their support for the legislation, which has been two difficult years in the making.

"Policies like the EU restoration law could be vital as we strive to save nature, and secure agricultural productivity across Europe," the letter continued. "But these policies will only work if they are built alongside farmers. If governments can provide the right incentives, they can empower farmers to create a world where people and nature can thrive together."

Farmers account for 4.2 percent of the EU's workforce and 1.4 percent of the bloc's gross domestic product, but the culture clash of often long-established working practices and communities and what are perceived as distant bureaucrats has amplified their voice in a political landscape that has changed significantly since the 2019 elections.

"The elections in 2024 will be elections in the year of angry farmers," said Franc Bogovic, a Slovenian member of the European Parliament, who is also a farmer.

Slovakia's Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, from the far-right Slovak National Party, has backed Hungary's opposition to the laws, saying they give the EU too much power.

"We should not incorporate the idea that environment can be protected only when Brussels decides about it," he told the Politico website. "It should reflect the mood and the involvement of the local people."