The main organizers of the protest are the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic and the Agricultural Union of the Czech Republic, according to which the government is not solving their problems. They are asking, among other things, to support employment in the countryside, not to cut support for animal welfare, to return land taxation to the level before the government’s consolidation package and also to tax European operating subsidies. “The situation in the domestic agrarian sector is not good and is constantly getting worse. Despite the personal efforts of the Minister of Agriculture, Marek Výborny, it was not possible to negotiate within the coalition of five a fundamental shift in our priorities that would really help our breeders and growers,” said the president of the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic, Jan Doležal.
Excellent said last week that the government met some of the demands. But farmers said on Monday that such aid was not enough. The minister declared that he is willing to continue dealing with the farmers, but not under ultimatums. The minister will participate in Thursday’s protest and plans to meet farmers in front of the government office, ministry spokesman Vojtěch Bílý told CTK today.
Farmers with equipment will gather between 05:00 and 06:00 on the outskirts of Prague or central Bohemia – in Vestec, Jesenice, Letňany, near Nová Ves near České Brod, and in Kněževs and Hostivica. From there, they will go to the center of the capital at 06:00, while they will also travel partly along the main road.
From approximately 07:00 to 11:00, the protesters plan to drive around Letenské sady along the route of Edvard Beneš embankment, Chotkova street, Milady Horáková street, Veletržní street, Dukelské hrdinů street and further along the embankment to the government office. In the documents sent to ČTK, the farmers said that, according to the estimate, about 600 to 700 machines can fit on the route. If there are more of them, they will park on Letná or the police will divert them to another route. At noon, the demonstration will begin in front of the government office and will last for about an hour and a half. After its end, the organizers expect the gradual departure of the technology and the demonstrators.
According to police spokesman Jan Daňko, the protest drive will be supervised by dozens of police officers, mainly from the traffic service, who will manage the traffic to make it as smooth as possible. Members of the anti-conflict team and riot police will also be on standby. Daněk told ČTK today that the police is not planning any restrictions on other traffic, but calls on drivers not to drive to the places of the announced protest.
Prague also asks drivers not to drive into the city on Thursday and to work from home. If you have to go to work, Prague recommends using rail transport and avoiding the roads around the government office and Letenské Sady.
According to regional representatives of the Agrarian Chamber contacted by ČTK, hundreds of farmers from individual regions are going to Prague. Farmers without equipment want to come from regions that are far from the capital. For example, about 300 of them plan to participate from the Zlín Region, another 200 to 300 will go from the South Moravian Region and at least a hundred from each of the five districts from Vysočina.
On February 19, part of the farmers already demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Agriculture in Prague and partially blocked the highway with a protest drive with hundreds of tractors. They demanded that the Czech government withdraw from the Green Deal, i.e. the EU’s Green Agreement for Europe, the goal of which is to achieve climate neutrality for the 27 countries by 2050. However, the Agrarian Chamber and the Agricultural Union distanced themselves from the protest.
The main agricultural organizations participated in the protest on February 22 against bureaucracy and environmental requirements in agriculture or imports from countries outside the European Union. Hundreds of tractors slowed traffic in cities, on major roads and at border crossings.
