Hundreds of Czech farmers join border protests

Several hundred Czech farmers joined their European counterparts on Thursday to protest against high energy costs, cheap goods from Ukraine, excessive bureaucracy and the European Union's agricultural policies.

Around 3,000 tractors and other agricultural machinery set off to the border crossings with Slovakia, Poland and Germany. Other Czech farmers are protesting in the centres of major towns, including Prague and Brno.

According to the Czech Agrarian Chamber, which has joined the protest, several thousand Czech farmers are taking part in Thursday’s events. President of the Agrarian Chamber, Jan Doležal has described the situation of farmers as "truly desperate".