Sun, Mar 10th 2024
Lucerne farmers rallied with 125 tractors in Wolhusen Markt, advocating for reduced bureaucracy, fairer prices, and increased appreciation for their crucial role.
Lucerne farmers gathered with around 125 tractors in Wolhusen Markt for a rally on Saturday evening. They demanded less bureaucracy, fairer prices and more appreciation.
At 8 p.m., the farmers drove up to the Landi in Wolhusen Markt on their neatly cleaned tractors and other agricultural vehicles, some of which were decorated with Swiss flags. The motor vehicles were parked in the parking lot and an adjacent meadow.
Placards with inscriptions such as “If the farmer is ruined, your food will be imported” or “The farmer’s death brings misery to people” were mounted on the parked tractors. The orange warning lights that were switched on underlined the demands in the darkness.
At the end of the rally, farmers slowly drove their tractors in a column from Wolhusen Markt towards the center of Wolhusen and back again after 9:30 pm, honking their horns. This blocked traffic on the cantonal road towards Entlebuch.
If farmers in Switzerland and Europe were producing less because of the many regulations, those in Latin America were happy, said one farmer. He called for a reduction in bureaucracy.
The farmers also mentioned prices as another problem. “Food shouldn’t cost anything,” said one. But there is money for luxury.
The protesters also called the major distributors and the processing industry to account. Although the prices of food in the stores are rising, none of it reaches them. However, the producers also have costs that they have to cover.
No speeches were made and no organizer of the event was to be seen. She had been alerted to the demonstration via WhatsApp, said one farmer. A “wake-up call” circulated on social media for the demonstration stated that farmers should show peacefully that “not everything can be done to us”.
It was the second farmers’ protest in two days to take place in the canton of Lucerne. On Friday, farmers also gathered in Inwil with around 100 tractors, as CH Media reported on Saturday.
©Keystone/SDA
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