- Title: Farmers spray milk powder on EU Council to protest dairy market overcapacity
- Date: 23rd January 2017
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) TRACTOR BLOWING MILK POWDER ONTO THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL BUILDING MILK POWDER BLOWING PAST EU FLAGS OUTSIDE COUNCIL POLICEMEN STANDING GUARD WITH MILK POWDER FALLING ON THEM MILK POWDER BEING BLOWN ONTO COUNCIL BUILDING BELGIAN FLAG PAINTED ON STATUE OF COW READING (French): "Fair milk" ON THE BACK OF TRACTOR SPRAYING MILK POWDER MAN HOLDING DUTCH FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (French) MILK PRODUCER, GUY FRANCQ, SAYING: "The problem we have today to make it start again is that we still have this burden of 500,000 tonnes of milk that costs a lot of money for people. We would need this stock to disappear so we can start producing again in a correct, regulated way. That's what we came to ask Europe today so that at least the voluntary freeze of production, if applied, is applied in the same way in all the member states and that the big producers can also be blocked, which is not the case today." MEN MOVING BAGS OF MILK POWDER IN A TRACTOR CRANE MEN SPILLING MILK POWDER MEN HOLDING BANNER AND WATCHING MILK POWDER IN THE AIR MILK POWDER BLOWING IN THE AIR FROM TRACTOR MAN HOLDING DUTCH FLAG AS MILK POWDER BLOWS MEN HOLDING MINIATURE COW STATUE PAINTED WITH FRENCH FLAG READING (French) "Fair milk" PROTESTER HOLDING A FLAG AS MILK POWDER BLOWS AROUND HIM (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH MILK PRODUCER, ADRIEN LEFEVRE, SAYING: "If we came today from France to Brussels it is to show politicians behind us that their decision of completely liberalising agriculture is making our agriculture die, and also that of emerging countries. So the protest with milk powder is very symbolic because it is excess which is killing us at home and in Africa." GROUP OF PROTESTERS HOLDING A BANNER AS THEY STAND IN POWDER TWO MEN BLOWING MILK POWDER BELGIAN FLAG PAINTED ON STATUE OF COW NEXT TO EU FLAG
- Embargoed: 6th February 2017 13:20
- Keywords: Diary farmers milk producers prices EU protest powder Council
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00160AXQ2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dairy farmers protesting low milk prices sprayed a tonne of milk powder onto a building used by EU leaders for summits in Brussels on Monday (January 23), saying a planned sale of milk powder stocks would depress prices in Europe and abroad.
The European Union has bought large quantities of skimmed milk powder to stabilise the market but said in November it would start disposing of some of it after prices had improved.
Farmers protesting in front of the European Council's Justus Lipsius building, where EU governments regularly meet, said they feared that putting the milk powder back onto the market would depress prices in the EU and abroad.
"The problem we have today to make it start again is that we still have this burden of 500,000 tonnes of milk that cost money to people. We would need this stock to disappear so we can start again producing in a correct, regulated way. This is what we came to ask Europe today so that at least the voluntary freeze of production, if applied, is applied the same way in all the member states and that the big producers can also be blocked, which is not the case today," milk producer Guy Francq said.
Protesters used farm machinery to cover the building and nearby police officers in a thick coat of the sticky, white powder.
"If we came today from France to Brussels it is to show politicians behind us that their decision of completely liberalising agriculture is making our agriculture die, and also that of emerging countries. So the protest with milk powder is very symbolic because it is excess which is killing us at home and in Africa," French milk producer Adrien Lefevre said.
The European Commission said only a small amount of the total milk powder stock of 354,000 tonnes was for sale and sales would be made without affecting prices or market stability. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
