Farmers take to streets as global unrest mounts

Farmers in Canada are the latest to take to the streets as protests against fertiliser curbs and rising costs gather pace across the globe.

Industry members in Ottawa, as well as across several provincial cities, have become the latest to take direct action against government policy shifts around the world.

Hundreds drove in slow-rolling tractor convoys to highlight not only the plight of Dutch farmers who claim the governments plans to slash emissions will lead to the closure of more than 11,000 farms but also the Canadian Governments plan to reduce nitrogen fertiliser emissions by 30 per cent.

Speaking to Canadas Southern Farm Network, Lyle De Boer from Belleville, Ontario said he was protesting in solidarity with his farming relatives in the Netherlands: The result [of the cap] will be a reduction in livestock... and ultimately that will mean a number of smaller farmers going out of business and big farms producing less food.

Meanwhile in Spain recently, more than 350 tractors blocked the road as Andalusian farmers staged a protest over rising fuel and energy costs.

In Italy, demonstrations against soaring costs have included road blocks in major cities such as Rome and Milan with campaigners holding banners that said: We are not slaves, we are farmers. A gathering of dairy farmers poured thousands of litres of milk outside government buildings in Naples, saying, This is not milk, this is our blood!.

The continued heatwave, which has seen temperatures hit record highs of 44 degrees celcius in France, has also added to the anger among farmers who are now battling to save crops amid severe drought and wildfire fears.

In France, the most severe drought ever recorded in the country has led Prime Minister lisabeth Borne to launch a special government unit tasked with dealing with the crisis. She said in a statement: The exceptional drought we are currently experiencing is depriving many municipalities of water and is a tragedy for our farmers, our ecosystems and biodiversity.