At the end of October 2009, a nationwide protest of farmers took place against the low purchase prices for milk, which was organised in regions by the farmers themselves. In at least eight localities across the Czech Republic, farmers poured hundreds of thousands of litres of milk into fields. The move was a mark of protest against its low purchase prices, which have recently dropped below the production cost. The farmers are concerned that they will have to send a large proportion of their cattle to be slaughtered.
Farmers in the Czech Republic organised several protests during 2009 to highlight their difficult circumstances. Prices for milk have decreased below the production cost, prompting farmers to pour thousands of litres of milk into fields in protest. Further demonstrations were organised in December 2009 against the state budget for 2010, which planned to cut the budget for the Ministry of Agriculture. Moreover, the sector is facing serious demographic challenges.
Protests over low milk prices
At the end of October 2009, a nationwide protest of farmers took place against the low purchase prices for milk, which was organised in regions by the farmers themselves. In at least eight localities across the Czech Republic, farmers poured hundreds of thousands of litres of milk into fields. The move was a mark of protest against its low purchase prices, which have recently dropped below the production cost. The farmers are concerned that they will have to send a large proportion of their cattle to be slaughtered.
According to the President of the Czech Agrarian Chamber (Agrární komora České republiky, AK ČR), Jan Veleba, almost 500,000 litres of milk have been wasted in fields, corresponding to about 7% of domestic production. Mr Veleba stated that ‘AK ČR supports these farms and stands up for them’; he explained that the spillage of milk is an extreme and desperate gesture by the farmers.
EU to help Czech milk producers
Problems with milk sales are, however, of a European dimension (see, for example, BE0909019I, FR0909019I). As a result, Czech milk producers will receive CZK 150 million (€5.7 million as at 28 January 2010) as part of the extraordinary support which has been approved by the European Parliament due to the crisis in the milk market. The Czech Minister of Agriculture, Jakub Šebesta, explained: ‘It is another tool for easing the situation of milk producers.’ The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (Ministerstvo zemědělství, MZe) estimated originally that each Czech milk producer would receive about CZK 50,000 (about €1,912). However, the amount will actually be higher, as the support will only be provided to farms where milk production contributes to a large part of the total farm production.
Further protests over state budget
Another farmers’ public protest – the fourth protest in 2009 – took place in the capital city of Prague on 2 December 2009. The demonstration was organised as a sign of the farmers’ discontent, particularly regarding the draft state budget of the Czech Republic for 2010, which plans to reduce the MZe budget by CZK 5.3 billion (€202 million). About 4,500 farmers participated in the protest from many locations throughout the country.
During the demonstration, Mr Veleba declared that farmers are dissatisfied with developments within Czech agriculture, the size and significance of which keeps declining. Regarding the situation in the sector, the Chair of the Agricultural Association of the Czech Republic (Zemědělský svaz ČR, ZS ČR), Miroslav Jirovský, stated that entrepreneurs cannot continue to make losses and that the number of people employed in agriculture may thus decrease by up to 10,000 people in 2009.
After the initial speeches, protesters marched to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic (Poslanecká Sněmovna Parlamentu České republiky, PSP ČR), where they submitted their demands to the members of parliament discussing the state budget for 2010.
Tensions grow over declining wages
Mr Jirovský noted that ‘farmers are nowadays reducing wages by 10%–20%’. In his opinion, ZS ČR is planning a wage reduction to be included in the upcoming higher-level collective agreement for 2010. However, this plan was unanimously rejected by the Chair of the Trade Union of Workers in Agriculture and Nutrition – Association of Free Trade Unions (Odborový svaz pracovníků zemědělství a výživy – Asociace svobodných odborů ČR, OSPZV-ASO ČR), Bohumír Dufek. According to Mr Dufek, trade union leaders will definitely not accept the employers’ proposal; on the contrary, they will demand a 4% increase in wages.
Employment in agriculture decreases
The trend of decreasing employment in agriculture is long term, with 2008 showing a 3.1% year-on-year decline in the number of employees. Another ongoing problem is the growing average age of farmers and the lack of young people entering the sector due to their migration to urban centres.
Jaroslav Vaňous from the Prague branch of ZS ČR has declared that ‘Czech agriculture must cope with the fact that it is often perceived negatively by the general public. The Ministry of Agriculture shows no interest in us at all’. This opinion, despite its subjectivity, reflects the view of Czech farmers regarding the current situation in Czech agriculture.
Jaroslav Hála, Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs (RILSA)
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2010), Farmers protest as Czech agriculture declines, article.
