This was the scene just outside the Council of the European Union in Brussels today, as dairy farmers protested in an attempt to pressure the EU into protecting their livelihood.
The demonstration, which I walked past on my way to lunch, seemed to be quite peaceful, but there was a heavy police presence in the area.
The Council was especially well guarded, though none of the protesters appeared interested in entering the building, at least for the few minutes my colleagues and I observed the scene.
The president of a European farmers’ co-operative told reporters that milk prices are lower today than they were in 1997. The price drop is a result of the liberalization of milk quotas, which the Union plans to remove altogether by 2015.
The farmers want the EU to keep the current quotas, as well as increase protective regulations and fix milk prices.
About a third of the EU’s budget goes to agriculture already, and efforts have been made to lessen the effects of overproduction, including exporting milk products outside the EU.
The farmers had some creative ways of getting their message out. Yes, there was cowbell.
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