Farmers are blocking key roads between Belgium and the Netherlands in the latest sign of their anger

Farmers have parked their tractors across key road crossings on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands in their latest protest against excessive red tape and competition from cheap imports. Friday's road blocks are mainly by Belgian farmers with the support of some Dutch colleagues. They are choking highways that are vital transport routes for freight from the major European ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. They were set up after a day of chaos in Brussels where angry farmers torched hay bales and threw eggs and firecrackers at police near a summit of European Union leaders. While the blockades have sprung up on the Belgian-Dutch border, they are gradually easing around Paris and elsewhere in France.