Protests by angry farmers are gaining traction in Europe.

• The EU wants to become carbon neutral by 2050.
• The objective is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, relative to 1990 levels.
• Last week, the farmer protest extended to the U.K. from across the English Channel.

The European Union prides itself on being a champion for the environment.

The reputation of the organization is being tested after it softened its climate policies due to protests from farmers occurring throughout the continent.

The European Commission has abandoned a plan to reduce pesticide use in half and has also decided to exclude the agricultural sector from a strict timeline for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% before 2040.

The EU's Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski expressed his "happiness" about the U-turns because he believed they were not "fully fair."

He suggested that while it is necessary to decrease the use of pesticides, farmers should not be forced to do so. Instead, he proposed offering more financial incentives to the agricultural industry to motivate them to adopt more sustainable methods.

The EU aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, relative to 1990 levels.

Wojciechowski stated that while the new policy changes may affect the overall economy, specific considerations must be made for the agriculture industry.

As the EU parliamentary elections in June approach, Europe is reevaluating its climate policies, with the expectation of increased representation of far-right and fringe lawmakers in the Parliament.

The upcoming European Parliament 2024 elections will be dominated by the farmers' question, which has become a pan-European issue that various political parties will be competing over, according to Alberto Alemanno, a professor at H.E.C. Paris Business School.

The upcoming EU political cycle (2024-29) may not be as green as expected, potentially jeopardizing the implementation of the green new deal and slowing down its next phases, including the expansion of sustainability standards to agriculture, according to Alemanno. He also warned that the recent protests are just a harbinger of more conflicts to come.

In recent weeks, farmers have been protesting due to a combination of factors, including increasing costs, mounting debt, intense competition from lower-priced markets, and declining sales prices. As a result, some demonstrations have caused damage in cities like Paris.

In the third quarter of 2023, the average price of agricultural products that farmers received decreased by 9% compared to the same period in the previous year.

The secretary general of the think tank Farm Europe, Luc Vernet, stated that farmers require more investment support, according to CNBC.

The farming sector is facing financial difficulties due to the lack of access to cheap money and bankers' reluctance to lend. As a result, there is a need for the European Union to reflect on how to deliver the transition and find solutions to support the farming industry.

The Common Agricultural Policy, a significant and historic piece of EU legislation, provides 55 billion euros ($59.3 billion) annually in subsidies to farmers.

Last week, British farmers protested against foreign food imports by holding an impromptu tractor demo in the port town of Dover.