Farmers stage angry protests in milk-price row

There have been violent protests in Brussels involving thousands of farmers angry at the prices being paid for their milk.

Fires were lit, with police using water cannons to try to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom arrived on their tractors.

The clashes came ahead of a meeting of EU agriculture ministers amid accusations they are not doing enough to end low milk prices.

President Eddie Downey leads Irish farmers in a major protest on farm incomes in Brussels today.

IFA president Eddie Downey said not enough is being done to assist working farmers.

"The Commission believed they had a short-term problem on the commodities side but the reality is the Russian trade ban...has displaced a lot of product in Europe," he said.

"(But) a lot of dairy and pig-meat product that used to go to Russia is back on the European market and it's causing a lot of problems for us farmers," he said.