Belgian Farmers Renew Protests as EU Agriculture Ministers Meet

Demonstrations erupt for second time in a month in Brussels as officials scramble to contain Western Europe’s escalating agricultural crisis.

Tractors in front of the European Parliament during a protest in response to European agricultural policies in Brussels, Belgium on Feb. 26, 2024. John Thys/AFP via Getty Images

Belgian farmers have converged on Brussels for the second time in a month to protest unpopular European Union (EU) policies they say are putting them out of business.

Like their counterparts elsewhere, Belgian farmers decry rising energy costs and cheap food imports from outside the EU that they say undercut local producers.