Hundreds of Belgian milk producers ditched barrels of milk to protest
against a fall in revenue due to lower milk prices and rising production
costs, following similar demonstrations in Europe.

 BULLINGEN, BELGIUM (MAY 29, 2008) REUTERS -
Belgian dairy farmers in the German-speaking eastern cantons of
Belgium demonstrated against low milk prices on Thursday (May 29) joining
thousands of producers across Europe feeling the pinch of rising production
costs.
    They ditched 1,800 litres of milk in a farm in Bullingen to symbolise
the fact that their product is losing value and their jobs risk going down the
drain.
    Almost 300 farmers came from across the region and were joined by
others from French-speaking Wallonia, Dutch-speaking Flanders and Germany,
just across the border. 
    The price of milk here has dropped by 7 cents per litre and with the
cost of production rising the farmers say they cannot cope.
    Erwin Schopges of the Belgian Dairy Board (BDB) said life is hard for
farmers who don't receive regular salaries and depend entirely on market
prices. 
    "We, the milk producers, we don't want to throw this milk away. We
work day and night. We work very hard and we are people from the countryside.
This morning I have thrown my milk away, for which I worked really hard. I
cried when I did it, but I will not stop this action until I get a fair price
for my milk," Schopges said.
    Leaders say they want the consumer to pay more because they are getting
a quality product. 
    One German farmer's wife, Petra Lorsbach, says they will continue to
protest until governments find ways to help them. 
    "We have nothing to lose, we can afford to do this strike because,
in the end, it can only be better. If we do nothing, then we will lose
everything," she said.
    Milk protests have also taken place in Germany, Austria Switzerland and
the Netherlands over the last two days. 
    "We hope that this movement spreads from Belgium further to France
and the Netherlands so that Europe wakes up and that they can see how tragic
it is for us," says a Bullingen farmer, Berni Schumacher.
    Dutch farmers stopped delivering milk to dairy companies whilst German
producers have were protesting for two days.
    German farmers crossed the border into Bullingen, in Belgian, in a show
of solidarity. Low milk prices have also prompted German dairy farmers to
boycott dairies for an unlimited period, the country's dairy farmers
association said on Wednesday (May 28). 
    German milk prices have been under pressure since April when the
European Union raised its production quota limits by 2 percent. 
    The EU uses the system, scheduled to be abolished in 2015, to stop
over-production of subsidised milk and milk products.