European farmers protest fall in milk prices
1,000 tractors, 5,000 people, and several cows whose milk was used as ammunition, gathered outside the European Union headquarters Monday to protest the fall of milk prices in Europe. The protest, organized by the European Milk Board, coincided with an emergency meeting of Europe's agricultural ministers, but the meeting failed to decide anything significant, beyond the creation of a committee. The Milk Board says that milk prices currently hover around 75% of production costs, and other unions anticipate losses in the billions of euros. The commission pointed out however that prices had risen marginally in recent months, and reiterated plans to support production, and phase out limiting quotas. Many farmers across Europe have called for easier organization rules, so that they could better address these issues collectively.
See "European farmers protest fall in milk prices", Stephen Castle, The New York Times, October 4, 2009