Flooding downtown Charleroi with milk, Belgian farmers have joined a growing industrial dispute over low milk prices. This could limit supplies next week. Roads have also been blocked, and trucks prevented from making their pickup rounds…

Farmers from Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg joined French counterparts in holding back production, and a group of Dutch and Italian farmers were also considering action, the European Milk Board (or lobby) said. It estimated that 40 percent of producers were on strike in France. The milk producers want a cut in production quotas for the financial year, which they believe would boost prices. The European Commission has dismissed the idea that the milk quota system, under reforms due to expire in 2015, is to blame for weak prices. Brussels has already taken a series of steps to shore up dairy markets, including reinstating export subsidies and private storage.More about: Agriculture, Strike

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