Of Cows and Europe

Today, farmers use tractors to block roads and dump heaps of manure in public spaces to influence and impress the echelons of power. Fifty-five years ago, in February 1971, some of them brought cows to the fourth floor of the Ravenstein building in the centre of Brussels, home of the Council of the European Economic Community. The ministers of agriculture for each of the six European member states had gathered there to discuss the Commission’s reform plan for the Common Agricultural Policy. A policy deemed too expensive while producing mountains of butter surrounded by lakes of milk. The European Commissioner responsible for agriculture at the time was Sicco Mansholt, and if there was one thing Mr Mansholt knew about from his long ministerial career in the Netherlands, it was agriculture. His convictions were deep-rooted. Small was not beautiful, unlike rationalization, modernization, intensive production and budgetary restraint.

The farmers laugh, grin happily. Their prank has achieved its goal in attracting press attention to their protest. How they coaxed the cows to ascend to the fourth floor is unknown. Did they climb the stairs or use the weight-restricted elevators? How did they get past security?

The farmers are laughing but the officials in the background, wearing ties and business suits, do not seem amused. Nor do the cows. The sad-looking black-and-white Holstein and the wary Charolais: one prized for its milk, the other for meat. Their halters and heads held tightly by their owners, they both look worried. How right they are. The banner proclaims Je coûte plus que je ne rapporte. I cost more than I bring in. Losses outweigh the benefits.

Yet these cows should be proud. In the meeting room, they bring something heavier than their weight, more powerful than their horns. They bring reality into abstract policy discussion, the human reality of a farmer’s livelihood. They tell us that reality matters – a useful reminder.