Traffic-blocking farmers now closing in on EU capital in a protest seeking better market conditions

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

HALLE, Belgium (AP) — Farmers are blocking more traffic arteries across Belgium and France as they seek to disrupt trade at major ports and other economic lifelines. They are also moving toward Brussels on Wednesday on the eve of a major European Union summit in a continued push for better prices for their produce and less bureaucracy in their work. The protests had an immediate impact. The European Commission announced plans to shield farmers from cheap exports from Ukraine during wartime and allow farmers to sidestep environmental rules. The plans still need to be approved by member states and parliament. But they are a sudden and symbolic step forward.