Farmers unhappy with agricultural policies took to the capital on Tuesday in tractors for a two-day protest to last until Friday.
The protesters have put forward six main demands to the government.
Russian grain transit
They are asking the government to stop the transit of Russian grain through Lithuania. As the European Union has not put sanctions on Russian food products, some farmers claim that this pushes down the prices of their grain exports.
Grasslands
Farmers are also demanding a solution to the issue of grasslands. Lithuanian farmers are required to restore permanent grasslands – land uncoltuvated for more than five years – if their ratio to the overall arable land drops by more than 5 percent compared to the reference year (2018). This is the rule that Lithuania accepted as part of its EU accession. If this happens, the National Paying Agency obliges farmers to restore it as a condition for getting subsidy payments. Those farmers that do not rear livestock say it makes no economic sense for them to keep part of their land unused.
Milk prices
Farmers are also demanding that the government ensure a minimum above-cost price at which processors buy their milk. a solution to the problems related to the purchase of milk. This is an old issue, last year dairy farmers held protests across Lithuania following a sharp drop in raw milk prices. They were giving away free milk and erecting wooden crosses in front of the administrative buildings of processors and retailers.
Marked fuel
The protesters are also demanding to call off new rules on marked – that is, untaxed –fuel. Under the rules, green diesel can no longer be used in vehicles that can be used for purposes other than agriculture, such as trucks, trailers, etc.
Protected areas
Farmers also resent that buffer zones around water bodies and protected areas are taken out of their land. They demand that when these zones are expanded, it not be done at their expense or that they are compensated.
Petroleum gas
The government has recently scrapped a tax exemption on petroleum gas. The excise duty now stands at 304.1 euros per tonne. Farmers demand that the exemption be returned.
Government response
Even before the farmers’ protest began, Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Navickas told LRT RADIO that he had taken steps to “correct the mistakes made”. He specifically meant the raised taxes on petroleum gas and marked fuel.
“Draft legislation has been published in the Register of Legislative Acts on reintroducing the former regime on green diesel, as well as reducing the excise duty on petroleum gas to 41 euros [per tonne],” the minister told LRT RADIO.
He also said that the ministry would continue to talk with farmers about their remaining demands.
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