Farmers clash with riot police in Brussels as EU agriculture leaders meet

Belgian capital blocked by 900 tractors amid protests throughout bloc demanding policy changes

Farmers have clashed violently with police in the European quarter of Brussels, spraying officers with liquid manure and setting fire to mounds of tyres, while the EU's agriculture ministers met to discuss the crisis in their sector.

As farmers also protested in Madrid and on the Polish-German border, at least 900 tractors jammed streets in the centre of the Belgian capital, police said, with protesters throwing bottles and eggs and setting off fireworks while riot police fired water cannon.