A group of dissatisfied farmers who have organised a two-day protest ride on tractors, travelling from eastern Slovakia to Bratislava have now parked their farm vehicles by the Danube River in the capital, determined to remain there until their demands are met.
They wanted to meet Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) and the ruling coalition on Wednesday, because Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná (SNS) does not have their trust, stated Patrik Magdoško, a representative from the Farmers' Initiative. The farmers want Pellegrini to sign a memorandum aimed at meeting farmers' requirements, such as assuring land access, and that the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) gives priority to small, local farmers. However, Pellegrini stated that he had other appointments and would not have the opportunity to meet them and they were invited for a meeting with Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná in the evening.
Subsequently, President Andrej Kiska met with the farmers in the afternoon. He promised to monitor the situation in the agricultural sector. "It's high time that the Government started honestly and sensitively addressing the demands and problems of Slovak farmers," stated Kiska after the meeting.
Later in the evening, however, the announced meeting between dissatisfied farmers and the agriculture minister didn't take place in the end since Matečná only wished to meet a small delegation, while the farmers insisted on meeting the Minister as an entire group. The farmers eventually expressed no confidence in Matečná by shouting their dissent in front of the Agriculture Ministry building.
"It is a pity that the farmers did not accept the offer to come for the meeting where their representatives would be present. As I mentioned before, the majority of the their requirements have already been fulfilled," Matečná responded, referring to her claims that eleven of the farmers' eighteen demands have already been met within adopted laws and amendments, adding that the remaining demands are either on the way or are unrealistic. She said that she will think about another appointment with farmers and will express herself on Thursday. She also stated that President Andrej Kiska should be unbiased and people should first discuss the issues before going into the streets, even though that during the meeting with Kiska, farmer František Oravec said that for two-and-a-half years they have been trying to explain to the Agriculture Ministry and the Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) that the current system in terms of the ownership of land is outdated.
The special investigative team composed of people from the police and the Prosecutor-General's Office that should investigate the farmers' complaints has already started to work, said the Interior Minister Denisa Saková (Smer-SD) on Wednesday after meeting with the Prime Minister.
The farmers claim that Slovak legislation puts "bigger players" in the right instead of protecting small farmers. They claim to have been pursued by "stronger interest groups" that cultivate the land of foreign owners, receiving subsidies for asphalted areas and are protected by people from political circles. They've faced intimidation, blackmail and violence as well as the machinations of a legal mafia against which the local and state authorities are "inactive".
