On Monday 7 September, thousands of farmers from across Europe descended on Brussels to protest about poor returns ahead of an EU Agriculture Ministers’ extraordinary meeting.
The NFU, NFU Cymru, Ulster Farmers' Union and NFU Scotland joined forces with their European counterparts for the demonstration which was been organised by COPA-COGECA, the umbrella group for European farming organisations.
BRUSSELS PROTEST - AS IT HAPPENED...
Mon 7 Sept - PROTEST DAY *times below are for Brussels*
- 7am: Farmers l
eft St Pancras on an early Eurostar train and arrived in the Belgian capital shortly after 9am Brussels time - see the latest pictures from the protest on Flickrhere
- 8.30am: Copa-Cogeca Secretariat hands out leaflets to DG Agri announcing protest and key demands
- 10am: Press Conference with Copa President Albert Jan Maat and Cogeca President Christian Pees
- 10.30am: European farmers and agri-cooperatives gathered at Brussels Nord railway station with short speeches from Copa President Albert Jan Maat and Cogeca President Christian Pees
- 11.15am: Farmers walked to outside European Agriculture Ministers extraordinary meeting
- 12-1pm: UK farming ministers met with their respective ministers at NFUs in Brussels office - joint statement from UK farming unions
- 12.15pm: European farmers and agri-cooperatives protested with speeches from Copa President Albert Jan Maat and Cogeca President Christian Pees
- 2pm: Copa President Albert Jan Maat and Cogeca President Christian Pees met EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan and the Luxembourg Presidency at the Justus-Lipsius building
- 3pm: Demonstration ended
Sun 6 Sept
- Farmers arrive in London
- Who's going from the NFU?:Around 30 NFU members and officeholders will be boarding an early Eurostar train on Monday to show their solidarity, including: Meurig Raymond, NFU President, Guy Smith, NFU Vice President,Stephen James, NFU Cymru President,John Davies, NFU Cymru Deputy President, Lyndon Edwards, NFU Cymru Livestock Chairman,Michael Oakes, NFU Dairy Board Vice Chairman, Charles Sercombe, NFU Livestock Board Chairman and a number of NFU Council delegates.
- NFU Cymru bilateral meeting with Welsh Government ministerial team in Brussels
Fri 4 Sept
- Briefing sent to farmers ahead of rally
Thurs 3 Sept
- Agriculture Committee of EU Parliament
- French farmers converge on Paris for prices protest
Weds 2 Sept
- Why we're sending farming representatives to the protest
- Ten key things the UK Government could do to back British farming
- Blog: Why 4,000 farmers will take to the streets of Brussels
- COPA pigs meeting
- Phil Hogan meeting with UK farming unions on dairy
- COPA fruit and vegetables meeting
Tues 1 Sept
- COPA meetings on beef and dairy
- Dinner with MEPs and UK officeholders