Many farmers and independent owner-operators in Britain are being driven into bankruptcy because of rising fuel prices and other costs and a slump in prices for farm products.

"They are facing the same things that we are," explained Jasper in a phone interview with the Militant. "U.S. farmers are told that dairy farmers in the United Kingdom and Europe are subsidized quite well and that these subsidies are crushing our markets. This definitely is not true. A dairy farmer there explained to me that they were getting paid less than their cost of production, just like dairy farmers here."

After talking with several farmers at the rally of 1,500 farmers, truckers, and their supporters on November 14, Jasper was asked to address the crowd gathered at Hyde Park in London. "I told the rally that I need to know what is happening in Europe and you need to know what is happening in the United States, because what we face is not a national problem, it's a world problem. I said that there are a lot of small farmers and truckers in the United States standing with you."

Jasper found that many farmers in the UK were "under the impression that the U.S. farmers are in fine shape. They were surprised to hear that they are in the same boat that we are."

According to Jasper, the "TV and the media really played down the rally in London," portraying it as a failure. The police were also hostile to the demonstrators. A total of 400 trucks, vans, and tractors converged on London from several parts of the country, according to the Daily Telegraph. Jasper added, "The police only allowed five trucks to reach the rally. People say the police were pretty rough on them. They threatened to arrest demonstrators and they filmed their vehicles" in an effort to intimidate the convoy drivers.

Jasper recounted one of the many wide ranging discussions that he had with some of the dairy, grain, sheep, and beef farmers at the rally. "A couple of guys said they didn't think that farmers were doing well anywhere in the world. I said that I went to Cuba. They were surprised to hear that farmers there are doing well. They are well paid, but mostly it is that they are among the most respected people in the nation." Jasper participated in a delegation of U.S. farmers and workers that traveled to Cuba last spring. The delegation was hosted by National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) of Cuba.

Jasper is looking forward to deepening ties between small farmers in the United States and the United Kingdom. "Many farmers invited me to come back and visit their farms. Three farmers are interested in coming to the United States to visit farmers here," he said.

Jasper plans to speak around the Midwest about his experiences in the United Kingdom and Cuba, and on the crisis faced by farmers in the United States.

David Rosenfeld is a meat packer in Chicago and a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home