Hundreds of tractors descend for milk protest

Dairy farmers from several European countries converged in Brussels on Monday aboard hundreds of tractors for a two-day protest against falling milk prices in Europe. The "1,000 tractors to Brussels" demonstration, which was organised by the European Milk Board (EMB), was expected to disrupt traffic in the Belgian capital until Tuesday, local traffic services said. "European milk producers are facing a dramatic situation. For too long milk prices do not cover the costs of production and thousands of milk producers had to give up already," the EMB, which represents milk producers from 14 countries, said in a statement. The group added that it hoped the protest would draw the attention of policy makers to the milk market and lead to legislative change. The protesters arrived in Brussels by way of major highways from Germany, the Netherlands and France, according to the Perex traffic centre, and were due to converge before the European Parliament later in the day. In a similar protest in 2009, the EMB poured out vats of milk and placed burning bales of hay and model cows by the entrance to the European Commission headquarters.