German farmers block highway access roads, stage protests against plan to scrap diesel tax breaks

Farmers are blocking highway access roads in parts of Germany and gathering for demonstrations, launching a week of protests against a government plan to scrap tax breaks on diesel used in agriculture

BERLIN -- Farmers blocked highway access roads in parts of Germany Monday and gathered for demonstrations, launching a week of protests against a government plan to scrap tax breaks on diesel used in agriculture.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unpopular three-party coalition infuriated farmers last month by drawing up plans to abolish a car tax exemption for farming vehicles and the diesel tax breaks. The proposals were part of a package to fill a 17-billion-euro ($18.6-billion) hole in the 2024 budget.

The government on Thursday climbed down partially, saying that the car tax exemption would be retained and the cuts in the diesel tax breaks would be staggered over three years. But the German Farmers' Association said it was still insisting on the plans being reversed fully and would go ahead with a “week of action” starting Monday.

In some areas, farmers used tractors to block entry roads to highways early Monday. A protest was planned in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, and a string of other demonstrations with tractors were planned across the country.

The protests are under scrutiny after a group of farmers on Thursday prevented Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from disembarking a ferry in a small North Sea port as he returned from a personal trip to an offshore island.