Thousands of European farmers pelted Belgian riot police with eggs and straw outside the European Council in Brussels on Monday, warning that the European Union (EU) policies on milk pricing are putting the future of Europe's dairy industry at risk.
The riot over milk prices broke out in the heart of the European Union. Thousands of farmers traveled from right across Europe to join in outside the European Council and Commission in Brussels.
Farmers hurled fireworks and dairy produce. The police held the rioters back with barricades, batons and water canons.
The European Milk Board said wholesale milk prices have fallen by 30 to 40 percent for most farmers.
"You cannot (sell) milk for these prices. Farmers go bankrupt. Large regions of Europe really don't have any milk producers anymore if there is not coming a change very soon," said Sieta Van Keimpema, president of the Dutch Dairymen Board.
The blame was spreading wide from supermarket price wars to the scrapping of an EU quota scheme earlier this year.
Another alleged reason was a milk surplus caused by Russian sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine.
"Putin closed all his borders for our agricultural products and at the moment there was a little crisis and now the crisis is growing bigger with that," said Michel Van Ongeval, a farmer from Federation Wallonne de l'Agriculture.
Agricultural ministers from all 28 EU member states held an emergency meeting on the issue.
At the end of the meeting the ministers announced the EU would assist farmers with measures including the immediate release of the equivalent of more than half a billion U.S. dollars in emergency funds.
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