The farmers’ association is planning several tractor rallies in Bavaria as part of a nationwide week of protest against planned subsidy cuts by the federal government. To kick things off next Monday, an action is planned in Munich, as the Bavarian Farmers’ Association announced on its website. Details are still open. There should be a protest in Augsburg on January 10th, then in Nuremberg on the 12th – on that Friday next week, the regional association of Bavarian transport and logistics companies is also calling for a rally in Munich in protest against the federal government’s policies.
The traffic light coalition wants to abolish the tax breaks for agricultural diesel and agricultural vehicles due to the current budget difficulties. Some farmers are calling for much more radical protests and accusing the farmers’ association of not representing the interests of farmers, and right-wing populists are also jumping on the issue.
Shortly before Christmas, the German Farmers’ Association in Berlin distanced itself from “imbeciles with fantasies of subversion, radicals and other extreme fringe groups and weirdos” on Platform X and called for peaceful protest. Although the week of action has not yet begun, farmers are already protesting. On Tuesday evening, around 1,200 farmers demonstrated with several hundred tractors in Hammelburg, Lower Franconia.
The week of action could coincide with further strikes by train drivers. Their GDL union had announced in the rail collective bargaining dispute that labor disputes could be expected again from January 8th. Passengers therefore have to prepare for three to five day strikes. However, dates have not yet been announced. The warning strike on December 8th also affected the Munich S-Bahn, which was largely only able to run every hour. For the coming week, the S-Bahn is again preparing an emergency timetable with a reduced offer for passengers.