Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Federal Police warns of Brussels disruptions as farmers rally. Hundreds, including foreign farmers, converge with tractors. Routes likely jammed, with a procession from the Netherlands stretching 8.5km. Heavy traffic anticipated; police to guide.
The Federal Police cautions of disruptions in Brussels as well as the rest of the country as hundreds of farmers in tractors are pushing their way to the Belgian capital for the major demonstration.
Who is participating in the major farmer demonstration in Brussels?
Most Belgian farmer organisations are not joining the protest, but international and domestic farmers – often by tractor – are journeying to the Heysel site in Laeken from early in the morning, traffic on several routes towards Brussels as well as in the Capital Region itself will likely be heavily disrupted.
How many tractors are expected to reach Brussels for the protest?
“Several hundred or even thousands of farmers are expected to descend on Brussels by tractor, including from abroad,” the Federal Police stated in a press release. The farmers’ action group, Farmers Defence Force (FDF), stated that about “1,000 tractors” are involved from Flanders alone. The FDF’s Dutch branch calculates that “thousands of Dutch farmers” will plunge into Brussels from the border as well, with about 500 tractors.
What route are Dutch farmers taking to reach Brussels?
Some 200 tractors from the Netherlands travelled the border on their way to the Belgian capital, Dutch news agency ANP conveys. The procession of Dutch tractors is presently 8.5 kilometres long. They departed with some 25 tractors from a supply point in Schaijk in Brabant with tractors entering along the route throughout the night.
On the vehicles are upside-down Dutch flags, banners of the Farmers Defence Force and protest signs with taglines such as “Farmers take care of your food.” Farmers from Germany and Belgium have also entered.
What route are Dutch farmers taking to reach Brussels?
In Belgium, police closed off corners and blocked busy roads so the parade could continue without too much traffic disruption. The farmers will navigate to the Heysel site in Brussels, where the demonstration will start at noon. They are mainly passing via the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders, but journeys from elsewhere in the nation are also possible. The various police forces will conduct the tractors in the interest of road safety for all road users as much as possible.
“Tractors are strictly forbidden from entering motorways,” the police feared. “Disruptions are to be expected especially on the various regional roads towards Brussels during the morning rush hour, and in the opposing direction during the evening rush hour.”
The police advise people driving to Brussels to closely track traffic information and take “unexpected delayed traffic” into account. Police will delay tractors to these routes as much as possible. “However, other roads will also be used.”
Within Brussels, the traffic problems will mostly be centralised around the Heysel plateau, but the area around Rue de la Loi in the European Quarter may also encounter traffic disruptions, especially during rush hour.
