Czech farmers protest against non-EU food imports

Czech farmers joined European-wide protests on Thursday, driving hundreds of tractors and agricultural machinery to oppose food imports from outside the EU. Demonstrations took place nationwide, concentrating at border crossings, where farmers met their counterparts from neighbouring countries. While most protests did not cause major disruptions, traffic was briefly blocked at the Náchod border crossing.

The farmers called for the cancellation of the EU-Mercosur trade deal or the exclusion of agriculture from it, an end to duty-free imports from Ukraine, citing concerns over differing standards, and complained about excessive red tape.