Farmers protest continues at Brussels Airport cargo centre

Belgian farmers have been blocking Brucargo since Thursday and intend to remain there into the weekend as part of ongoing protests against the recent trade agreement between the EU and South America.

Farmers have been stopping lorries with their tractors at the entrance to Brussels Airport’s cargo airport.

“The farmers are only allowing lorries to pass every 30 minutes for about 10 minutes,” said Ariane Goossens, spokesperson for the General Farmers’ Union (ABS).

Goossens said freight traffic is struggling to get through and there are traffic jams and considerable disruption to departing cargo flights, though Brussels Airport said there was no impact on air traffic at the cargo airport.

“About 30 to 40 tractors stayed there all night,” Goossens told Bruzz on Friday morning.

“The action has led to traffic jams, but goods can eventually get through.”

Brussels Airport emphasised that the farmers are allowing priority medical traffic to pass and that there was no disruption in the specially designated area. Staff are permitted to come and go freely.

Farmers are concerned about the possible consequences of the trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay), saying they fear that meat and other animal products that do not meet strict European regulations will enter the European market.

“But it goes beyond Mercosur alone: the entire future of local and sustainable food production is at risk today, also due to Flemish and federal regulations,” said ABS policy officer Mark Wulfrancke.

“We’ve made agreements with the police and the airport about how we will organise the blockades. There will be disruption, but the intention is for everything to proceed peacefully.”

The VIMA police zone (Vilvoorde-Machelen) confirmed that traffic disruption is expected at the Brucargo roundabout, on Luchthavenlaan in Vilvoorde and on the E40 and E19 slip roads near Brucargo.

Farmers will continue their efforts at the Atomium on Sunday at 10.00, where a protest is being organised by the Flemish organisation ‘Ik hou van onze boer(inn)en’ (I love our farmers), which unites young independent farmers throughout Flanders.

“We’re heading to Brussels with farmers from all over Flanders,” said the organisation’s Jo Van Der Donck.

“We hope to see at least 500 tractors, or at least 500 farmers. We have the support of local branches of the [farmer unions], as well as the General Farmers’ Union.”

The aim of the protest is to send a clear signal against the trade agreement, though unions remind participants to keep the protest peaceful and not engage in violence or vandalism.