Farmers to block Czech roads to protest lower budget

The Czech Agrarian Chamber has revealed that the country’s farmers will use farm machinery to slow traffic on key roads in areas throughout the Czech Republic, including Prague, on October 13, to protest the proposed budget for the agriculture ministry next year. The protest will last two hours and will not affect the country’s highways. Agrarian Chamber representatives announced the move was in protest to lower direct payments from the state budget, dropping by 2.8 billion crowns. Last week, the government approved a proposal for the state budget in which the agriculture ministry will receive 4 billion crowns less than in 2008, part of the government’s austerity measures.