Demonstration - Farmers protest against austerity plans: traffic jams caused by tractors
Thousands of farmers once again marched in a long column of tractors on Thursday to protest against a planned end to tax concessions. The police spoke of 2000 tractors in the evening. On Platform X, the police called on people to avoid driving in Stuttgart or to drive around the state capital. When the tractors arrived, there were long traffic jams on the central highways, and the police again expected traffic obstructions when they left.
In front of the Ministry of Agriculture, the farmers vented their displeasure with a concert of honking horns and banners reading "The farm is on fire, the traffic lights are on", "Farmer was my dream job" and "Poor Germany! Lets its breadwinners starve".
Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU) sharply criticized the savings plans of the traffic light coalition in the state parliament on Thursday. A very small part of the population would have to make the lion's share of the savings, said Hauk. "You can't make anyone understand that the very people who ensure our food supply are affected again." Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is not doing justice.
The Vice President of the State Farmers' Association, Jürgen Maurer, demanded: "The Federal Government's proposals must be taken off the table without any ifs and buts." Farmers would not be able to compensate for the resulting competitive disadvantages. "We maintain and preserve the cultivated landscape and implement a high standard of animal welfare. All of these services must be financed so that farming families can make a living," said Maurer according to a press release.
Last Saturday, a demonstration with 160 vehicles had already caused traffic obstructions in Stuttgart city center. On Monday, several thousand participants with hundreds of tractors in Berlin also vented their anger at the austerity plans of the traffic light coalition. Similar demonstrations had also taken place in other federal states.
The federal government wants to abolish the tax concessions for agricultural diesel and also raise the vehicle tax for tractors, combine harvesters and harvesting machines.
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- The BMELV, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, was not involved in the austerity plans, causing frustration among farmers.
- Jürgen Maurer, the Vice President of the State Farmers' Association, believed that the proposed changes would lead to a competitive disadvantage for agrarian businesses in Baden-Württemberg.
- In response to the planned changes, Peter Hauk, the Agriculture Minister of Baden-Württemberg, criticized the savings plans of the Federal Government and the Traffic Light Coalition.
- During the protests, farmers in Stuttgart organized a horn concert to express their frustration and displeasure with the proposed changes, attracting attention from the local police.
- The Tractor Savings Plan, which includes the abolition of tax concessions for agricultural diesel and an increase in vehicle tax for tractors, combine harvesters, and harvesting machines, has been a point of contention for farmers across Germany.
- Jürgen Maurer and other farmers in Baden-Württemberg advocated for the withdrawal of the federal government's proposals and advocated for policies that would ensure the financial viability of farming families and the preservation of the region's natural resources and agricultural landscape.
Source: www.stern.de
