[xtypo_dropcap]B[/xtypo_dropcap]RUSSELS, Belgium-Around 200 dairy farmers protested on the streets of Brussels yesterday, after the announcement of reforms that bring an end to permanent contracts between farmers and milk companies.
The reforms are intended to avoid a milk crisis; the farmers say that the European Commission is not doing enough to ensure their survival. Last year, dairy farmers protested several times in Brussels over the price of milk and thousands of farmers poured out three million liters (approx. 800,000 gallons) of milk.
The farmers are not content with the proposed reforms, because they will not allow individual farmers to form groups, and without permanent contracts they fear they will be at the mercy of the milk industry. The growing financial problems for farmers also bring another risk, according to numbers released by the Flemish Agency of Care and Health: farmers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to suicide.
The reforms are intended to avoid a milk crisis; the farmers say that the European Commission is not doing enough to ensure their survival. Last year, dairy farmers protested several times in Brussels over the price of milk and thousands of farmers poured out three million liters (approx. 800,000 gallons) of milk.
The farmers are not content with the proposed reforms, because they will not allow individual farmers to form groups, and without permanent contracts they fear they will be at the mercy of the milk industry. The growing financial problems for farmers also bring another risk, according to numbers released by the Flemish Agency of Care and Health: farmers are becoming increasingly vulnerable to suicide.
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