About 10,000 farmers from Lithuania and other European Union countries rallied in Brussels on Thursday to protest the European Commission’s plans to cut funding for agriculture after 2027.
At the same time, Lithuania’s Chamber of Agriculture and Kooperacijos Kelias, an association of agricultural cooperatives, staged a protest outside the EU representation office in Vilnius.
Martynas Puidokas, vice chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union, said farmers across Europe are united in opposing the Commission’s proposed changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, planned budget cuts, what they describe as unfair EU trade policy and excessive bureaucracy.
“Today, the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union, together with 10,000 EU farmers, is participating in a rally in Brussels,” Puidokas told BNS. “This is a continuation of our actions. Back in the summer, we politely conveyed our message about inappropriate EU policy to our government representatives in every country’s capital. They did not listen to us.”
Raimundas Juknevičius, chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union, said farmers are particularly alarmed by the Commission’s proposal to cut the CAP budget by about one-fifth and to abandon the policy structure that has been in place for decades.
On the eve of the protest, leaders of EU farmers’ organisations met in Brussels to discuss the future of the CAP and the ratification of a free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.
Lithuania has previously called for increased EU funding for agriculture and fisheries for the 2028–34 budget period, arguing that proposed allocations after 2027 are insufficient.
Under current plans, Lithuania would receive 4.386 billion euros for agriculture in 2028–34, about 20% less than the 5.485 billion euros allocated in the previous financial period.
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