FARMERS BLOCK ROAD NEAR DJAKOVO BY THEIR BODIES

DJAKOVO, June 26 (Hina) - After police prevented farmers- protesters from blocking the Djakovo-Vinkovci road by tractors and other agricultural machines and vehicles on Saturday morning, about 150 villagers from Budrovci and nearby villages (the Djakovo area, some 200 kilometres east of Zagreb), obstructed the traffic by their bodies. When they managed to block the road at the Budrovci protest point in this way, a few tractors also reached the site to help in the blockade. This blockade lasted by noon, while the peaceful protest of farmers has been going on. Addressing the gathered, a member of parliament and of the Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS), Pavo Sarcevic, stressed that protests of the Croatian Farmers' Association cannot be thwarted by police, but they can cease only when the Government makes a prudent decision in this field. Sarcevic described the Government's decision to cut the milk subsidy and the entire stance of the authorities toward the agriculture and peasants as shameful. He announced that demonstrations would be held as long as the Government failed to show understanding for the Association's demands. (hina) ms