Proposal for Worker Radiation Protection Directive Sought by Commission
Thousands of German Farmers Protest in Berlin and Freiburg Against EU Agricultural Policy Changes
In a significant show of resistance, over 10,000 farmers have converged on Berlin, driving thousands of tractors and other agricultural vehicles, causing significant traffic disruptions. The demonstration, taking place at the Brandenburg Gate, is part of a broader European movement opposing proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and changes in agricultural funding management.
The farmers' rally in Berlin started early in the morning from five different routes, with heads of the Bundestag factions of SPD, Greens, and FDP planning to meet with representatives of the farmers after the demonstration. The federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, has expressed a desire to discuss fundamental changes to agricultural policy.
Meanwhile, in Freiburg, around 150 tractors have been protesting since midnight, aiming to block traffic for 24 hours. The farmers in Freiburg have indicated they will end their protests if the federal government withdraws its austerity plans. Similar statements to those in Berlin have been heard from farmers in Freiburg.
The key proposed agricultural policy changes triggering these protests include a 20% reduction in the CAP budget for 2028–2034 within the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework and the merging of the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development into one fund managed at the national rather than EU level. Farmers and their associations warn that these changes undermine the strategic role of the CAP for sustainable food production, risk harming family farming models, and lead to excessive bureaucracy and control.
Representatives of the traffic light coalition are willing to meet the farmers halfway, but as of early August 2025, there has been no indication that the proposals have been withdrawn or significantly altered. The protests are ongoing as the European Commission debates the proposed budget and policy framework.
The farmers' president, Rukwied, made these statements at the central rally in Berlin. The protests in both Berlin and Freiburg reflect national concerns about EU-level agricultural budget cuts and policy shifts. The current status of the farmers' protest in Germany is a significant development in the ongoing debate about the future of agricultural policy in Europe.
[1] European Commission. (2025). Proposed CAP budget and policy framework for 2028–2034. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-reform_en
[2] Farmers' Association of Germany. (2025). Position statement on proposed CAP changes. Retrieved from https://www.bauernverband.de/positionen/cap-reform
- The ongoing protests by thousands of German farmers in Berlin and Freiburg are part of a broader movement against policy-and-legislation changes in the European Union's agricultural sector, specifically the proposed reductions in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget and shifts in funding management.
- The farmers' association in Germany, echoing the sentiments in Berlin and Freiburg, has voiced concerns about the implications of these policy-and-legislation changes on general-news items such as sustainable food production, family farming models, and bureaucracy, urging careful reconsideration as the European Commission debates the proposed budget and policy framework.
