Czech farmers dumped manure in front of government buildings and blocked Prague streets with tractors on Thursday, renewing calls for more government support, cutting red tape and an end to cheap imports to the European Union, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

Protest of Czech farmers in PraguePhoto: Simanek Vit / CTK / Profimedia Images

Farmers have taken to the streets in several European Union countries in recent weeks, unhappy with red tape, EU measures to combat climate change and efforts to help Ukraine sell grain.

On Wednesday, thousands of Polish farmers protested in front of the government building in Warsaw, burning tires and throwing firecrackers. In some places, there were also clashes with law enforcement officers who used tear gas.

Last month, Belgian farmers also set fire to tires in front of a building in Brussels where a meeting of European agriculture ministers was taking place.

As for Czech farmers, Thursday’s action was the third protest since mid-February. Farmers lined up hundreds of tractors along the road leading to government buildings, disrupting traffic and public transport.

The police reported that farmers were spreading manure, which led to the arrest of one person.

The Czech government says it will not give in to pressure from farmers, but calls for “honest” negotiations

The Minister of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Marek Vyborny, reiterated that the government will not give in to pressure. “I am ready to go and have an honest discussion with farmers,” Vyborny said in a post on the X social network.

“I expect an honest approach from the organizers of the protest, who promised not to block traffic in Prague. I don’t think that throwing manure on the tram tracks is such an approach,” the Czech minister added.

The Czech National Chamber of Agriculture (AK) has called for subsidies similar to those in 2022, as well as support programs to increase employment in agriculture, along with lower property taxes for arable land.

The Chamber also wants the government in Prague to help solve the problem of the surplus created on EU markets by cheap imports.

“The situation is bad and constantly getting worse. When the political will of the ruling coalition is absent for two years, we must publicly ask for help,” said AK President Ian Dolezhal before the protests.