Agriculture - Farmers' protest continues: investigation into gallows symbols
The Brandenburg Farmers' Association considers the federal government 's austerity plans to be unacceptable and is also protesting against cuts in the new year. "At some point, the barrel will overflow," farmers' president Henrik Wendorff told dpa. The federal government wants to cut tax breaks for farmers on agricultural diesel and vehicle tax in order to plug holes in the budget. Following the farmers' protests before Christmas, the police in Brandenburg are also investigating a number of gallows with traffic light symbols that were erected on roads.
Farmers' president Wendorff commented on the debate about agricultural diesel: "What are we supposed to drive with, a horse and cart across the fields again?". Farmers have no alternative to diesel fuel, he said. "I don't know of a combine harvester that runs on an electric motor." Although there are now sometimes smaller electric machines in the barn, this is not the case with large machines.
The German Farmers' Association is calling for a week of action from January 8 to protest against the savings plans. On January 15, there will be a large demonstration in Berlin. The transport industry also wants to take part.
Farmers want to discuss with politicians in the regions
The farmers' association in Brandenburg wants to launch poster campaigns and enter into discussions with regional politicians, Wendorff announced. "We want to make it clear that we have already had to accept many cuts this year. There is a lot of resentment on the way." Wendorff said that an average family farm would be burdened with 5,000 euros a year due to the loss of tax relief on agricultural diesel alone. "We are not the rioters who are going around the country, but we want to stay in the conversation," said Wendorff.
In addition, the situation for the industry is already tense. Producer prices this year are 30 percent below those of the previous year. Dairy farmers in particular are "putting money on the table", said Wendorff. In addition, a large part of pig farming has already been lost.
According to the association, the two planned cuts would deprive the industry of a total of almost one billion euros. Up to now, farms have been able to claim a partial refund of the energy tax on diesel. The refund amounts to 21.48 cents per liter - the tax rate for agricultural diesel is then 25.56 cents per liter compared to the full tax rate of 47.04 cents.
Police deal with protests and gallows set up
Protest actions with gallows erected against the federal government's austerity plans are keeping the police in Brandenburg busy. According to a spokeswoman for the police headquarters, there have been cases "in the single-digit range" in the districts of Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Havelland and Uckermark. The "Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung" and RBB reported on this earlier.
Since the large protest demonstration by farmers before Christmas, gallows with red-yellow-green traffic lights had appeared on roads in Kyritz and Rathenow, for example. The originators were previously unknown. Traffic light symbols were also dangling from wooden structures in other federal states.
On December 18, thousands of farmers gathered in Berlin to protest against the planned abolition of tax breaks. "The traffic lights must go" could be read during the demonstration in the capital.
The police have started an investigation into the gallows, said a spokeswoman for the police headquarters in Potsdam. They are investigating whether the constructions are a traffic obstruction or a distraction. Road authorities should also remove such gallows. However, the legal assessment would have to be carried out by the public prosecutor's office, said the spokesperson.
The police in Brandenburg are monitoring the announced protests. The situation is being assessed on a daily basis and the police are preparing to take action, it said.
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Source: www.stern.de
