German dairy strike spreads in Europe

HAMBURG, Germany, May 30 (UPI) -- European dairy farmers are beginning to join a farmers' strike started in Germany to protest low milk prices, industry observers said Friday.

Dairy farmers in Germany began pouring their milk into fields Thursday, the EU Observer reported.

Farmers in Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands have also begun to discard their dairy product, the report said.

In Germany, 95 percent of the Association of German Dairy Farmers have said they will join the strike.

"If the farmers don't defend themselves now, then when?" asked Martin Haab, president of Big-M, a Swiss milk producers association.

Farmers in France have said they will use tractors to block dairy deliveries.

Operating costs for farmers in Europe have risen by 8 percent in the past six months, while payments for milk have dropped by 30 percent, EU Observer said.