Protesting farmers spray Brussels police with liquid manure near EU’s base in a new display of power

By SYLVAIN PLAZY and LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — Farmers have clashed with police in Belgium, spraying officers with liquid manure and throwing eggs and flares at them in a fresh show of force as the European Union’s agriculture ministers met in search of ways to address the protesters’ concerns. The farmers are angry at red tape and competition from cheap imports from countries where the EU’s relatively high standards do not have to be met. On Monday, 900 tractors entered the city, many bearing down on the European Council building where the ministers were meeting. This is part of a series of rallies by farmers across Europe, notably in France, the Netherlands, Spain and Bulgaria.