German farmers with tractors flocked to the capital to protest against the planned reduction of tax breaks for diesel used in agriculture.
The decision is said to be part of an attempt to plug a €17 billion hole in the country’s budget.
Farmers believe that the government’s plans will lead to a significant increase in fuel prices, a rise in the cost of agricultural production and a drastic increase in the price of food.
Even the German Minister of Agriculture, Cem Ozdemir, protested alongside several thousand farmers. He argued that farmers have no alternative to diesel.
C. Ozdemir agreed that the country needs to save money, but he said that the people (farmers) who provide the food should not be treated like this. “It is too much of a burden on the sector“, he said.
The convoy of several hundred tractors disrupted the roads as the tractors headed towards the center of Berlin, near the famous Brandenburg Gate. According to Berlin police, there could have been around 3,000 protesters.