Banner produced by the Landelijke Gilde Loppen. (CAG, currently stored at KADOC-KU Leuven)
On March 23, 1971, 100.000 Belgian farmers, together with colleagues from other EEC member states, took to the streets of Brussels. They protested against the reform plans of European Agriculture Commissioner Sicco Mansholt. Mansholt wanted to make farming more viable and modern. Key concepts were scaling up and mechanization. However, his plan also envisaged halving the number of farmers, from ten to five million. Small farmers, in particular, saw their livelihoods threatened. Mansholt also wanted to repurpose five million hectares of agricultural land. And above all, he wanted to lower the prices of agricultural products.
The Mansholt Plan immediately caused great unrest. From mid-February 1971, protests, demonstrations, and blockades followed, also in neighboring countries. A large demonstration was planned in the capital on March 23. It became one of the largest and most turbulent demonstrations of the post-war period. There were many injured and even one fatality.
This telling banner from the Loppem Rural Guild was used during the farmers' demonstration in Brussels on March 23, 1971. The banner reads 'FARMERS! / Milk Everything Not Sikko Keeps Our Last Teat SAFE! / EUROMARKET'. The red letters form the name of Mansholt. In early March, the many board members of local farmers' guilds received, alongside various instructions for organizing the demonstration, a list of slogans that could adorn banners and placards. Some examples were: 'Through the Treaty of Rome, we will not let ourselves be skimmed', 'The milk is boiling over, our patience too', or 'No future for the country without a viable farming community!'.
After all, the agreements with the Mayor of Brussels, the liberal Lucien Cooremans (PVV), stipulated that the signs and banners 'may not display any inscriptions other than those adopted by the organizing committee'. Nevertheless, many farmers showed their own creativity, with Mansholt being the main target. For instance, there were various puppets depicting Mansholt at the gallows. A hearse even rode along with a coffin for Mansholt.
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