Angry Farmers Block German Minister On Ferry

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck expressed concern Friday after farmers angry at government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture trapped him on a ferry in the northern town of Schluettsiel.

Around 30 protestors prevented Habeck from disembarking the vessel on Thursday as he returned from a winter break on the North Sea island of Hallig Hooge, a police spokesman told AFP.

After negotiations failed to end the farmers’ blockade, Habeck decided to stay on the ferry and travel back to the island.

Order restored, Habeck returned to the mainland at around 1:50 am Friday (0050 GMT), police said.

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In total, around 100 farmers descended on the port in their tractors to intercept the minister, with police using pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

“I regret that it was not possible to establish talks with the farmers,” Habeck said in a statement.

“What worries me… is that the mood in the country is becoming so inflamed,” he said.

The incident was “shameful and goes against the rules of democratic coexistence”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on X, formerly Twitter.

“Blockades of this kind are a no-go,” the head of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) Joachim Rukwied said in a statement.

Farmers have been up in arms over government plans to withdraw tax breaks for the agricultural sector this year.

Thousands travelled to Berlin to protest the move in December, blocking roads with their tractors and dumping manure on the street.

The display of disaffection precipitated the government to partially walk back the planned subsidy cuts on Thursday.

A discount on vehicle tax for agriculture would remain in place, while a diesel subsidy would be phased out over several years instead of being abolished immediately, the government said.

The agriculture sector however said the move did not go far enough and urged the government to completely reverse the plans, announced after a shock court ruling forced the government to find savings in the budget for 2024.

AFP