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Milk farmers run with a cow past riot police during a demonstration outside the European Council headquarters in Brussels - Source: Reuters -
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European farmers have pelted police with eggs and milk as they try to make a case for more protection from the free market.
They stormed a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels to protest falling dairy prices, burning tyres and bails of hay outside the emergency session.
Around a 1,000 European dairy farmers descended on Brussels for the protest.
A Belgian farmer at the protest said that if there was no change to the price by this winter, he would have to stop milking.
"Everyday I lose money. It is as if every morning I wake up and I burn a 50 Euro bill," he said.
That's around $100 in New Zealand currency.
Unlike their New Zealand counterparts, EU farmers receive subsidies of around $110 billion a year which leads to over-production.
But they want even more protection from the volatile commodity market.
Twenty EU nations, led by France and Germany demanded more European Commission cash for the struggling farmers but they were turned down flat.
Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture, said individual countries need to take responsibility.
"We will discuss all possibilities with member states but if you want more money then finance ministers of governments have to realise that they have to open their purses," says Boel.
Worldwide dairy prices are starting to improve but for now Europe's farmers are left crying over spilt milk.
