Saxony's farmers stop protest action early

Saxon farmers want to end their protest against the federal government's austerity plans early on Monday. "The understanding for our protests today was overwhelming," announced the state farmers' association and the Land schafft Verbindung association.

In order not to further restrict evening traffic, the protest at the highway ramps will end at 3 p.m., they said. The protest action was originally planned until 5 pm. "We call on politicians to listen to our words, to recognize our needs and to deal intensively with a reform of agricultural and economic policy," said the joint press release.

In response to farmers' protests, the federal government announced on Thursday that it would withdraw some of the planned subsidy cuts. The traffic light coalition wants to abandon the abolition of the motor vehicle tax exemption for agriculture. The aim is to avoid a considerable bureaucratic burden for the companies concerned. The abolition of tax concessions for agricultural diesel is to be spread out and implemented in several stages over the coming years. However, the German Farmers' Association considers the measures to be inadequate. The cuts to agricultural diesel should also be taken off the table.