Farmers in Lithuania have already started moving towards Vilnius with their machinery from various parts of the country as protests launched in early January continue.
“The agriculture minister is now in Brussels, and tractors are on their way to Vilnius. We hope that the minister will not stay in hiding in Brussels and we will meet with farmers in Kudirka Square!”, Ignas Hofmanas, chair of the Lithuanian Agriculture Council posted on the council’s Facebook account on Monday afternoon.
“Over 800 pieces of machinery (…) will come to Vilnius and then be escorted to the center, Gediminas Avenue,” Hofmanas told BNS.
The council told BNS that technical and preparatory work would be carried out in Vilnius on Tuesday, and people were expected to gather outside the government office on Wednesday and Thursday, with around 2,000 people expected to attend.
Gabrielius Grubinskas of the Vilnius Municipality told the 15min.lt news website that the issued protest permit limits the number of protesters to 3,500 people and no more than 500 tractors and forestry trucks are allowed.
Traffic will be restricted on a section of Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius from Tuesday until Friday
In early January, farmers across Lithuania lit bonfires to protest against the government’s agricultural policy, the increased excise duty on liquefied petroleum gas, the restoration of permanent grasslands, and called minister to address the dairy crisis, among other problems.
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski met with representatives of the Lithuanian Agriculture Council on January 11 and vowed to present solutions for the restoration of permanent grasslands. He is set to discuss the issue with Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Navickas on Tuesday.
Source: BNS
(Reproduction of BNS information in mass media and other websites without written consent of BNS is prohibited.)