Half of all farmers across the EU participated in last year’s wave of farmer protests, but the vast majority remain unsatisfied with policymakers’ response to the demonstrations, according to a survey commissioned by CropLife Europe – the European lobby group for plant protection products.
The year 2024 saw farmers take tractors to the streets right across the EU, to protest issues ranging from environmental regulations, CAP red tape and competition from agri-food imports.
Just under 2,000 farmers from nine member states participated in the survey, including 169 Irish farmers.
An overall 50% of respondents reported involvement with the protests and this ranged from highs of 71% in both Germany and Spain, to a low of 25% in Ireland.
Two in every five farmers surveyed at EU-level claimed that the protests improved the public’s perception of farming, with the equivalent result rising to 67% in Irish farmers’ responses.
A similar EU-wide figure of 40% stated that they felt as if their concerns had been heard by both the public and the media, and again the corresponding figure increased in Irish responses – to 48%.
Just one in five respondents agreed that the protests saw policymakers listen to and engage more with farmers, while only 16% stated that taking to the streets had an impact in changing farming policies.
The corresponding results for Ireland saw twice these proportions agreeing with the statements above.
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