Farmers Protests in Germany. Exploring Participation and Support

Last winter, farmers protested across Europe. In Germany, farmers opposed governmental plans to abolish tax reliefs for agricultural diesel and vehicles. While the financial impact on individual farms can be seen as manageable, the protests reflected broader dissatisfaction within the sector. We analyse factors explaining farmers’ participation and support of the protests based on an online survey of over 300 German farmers. We assess farmers’ estimate of additional costs based on the tax cuts, their satisfaction with Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farm and farmer characteristics, and protest reasons. By grouping farmers based on participation and support, we find significant differences in relation to cost estimates, farm size, and full-time farming. Regression results indicate farmers of all farm systems and sizes participated in and supported the protests. The financial impacts of the tax cuts are generally overestimated, but they do not explain participation or protest support. Higher CAP satisfaction is negatively associated with support. Across the sample, we observe high agreement with grievances like administrative burdens, low incomes, and imports. Overall, the protests reveal deep-rooted frustrations beyond immediate financial triggers, emphasizing the need for structural reforms that must not compromise sustainability goals.