Europeans really know how to dissent. The optics of spraying a fountain of uncountable pounds of poop, basically, towards the object of your frustration reads pretty clearly. The farmers are protesting what they deem to be excessive red tape and unattainable environmental standards from the EU.
Because of the EUs imposition, the farmers are unable to make a decent living. So, to continue the rich Belgian tradition of large, loud, popular protest, the farmers did what disgruntled Europeans did best. Watch them spray tons of manure at the police, as well as set hay on fire here
On Tuesday, farmers blocked roads around the Belgian port of Antwerp, the second-largest in Europe, most of the day. The disruption followed earlier protests at the port, 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Ledegem, and around the country which cost tens of millions of euros in transport delays and spoilt goods.
What really gets Dochy is when bureaucratic deadlines are imposed on him, for example if certain crops or green fertilizers need to be sown by Sep. 1.
"If the last week of August is unbelievably rainy, you will not be able to sow this properly. But you are nevertheless obliged to sow. Otherwise, you may be faced with a fine," he said.
"A farmer actually lives in conflict between the government, which wants to be in charge, and nature, which is still in charge. And you can't actually change anything about nature," Dochy said.
Raf Casert, Associated Press
Protests of a similar nature have been going on for some time. A few months ago, Belgian farmers dumped manure and threw eggs at local parliament buildings. You can watch that here.
