FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Far fewer farmers than expected took part in a protest drive around Frankfurt Airport on Saturday. According to the police, farmers gathered with around 400 tractors to demonstrate against the expiry of tax refunds for agricultural diesel. Up to 2000 tractors had been announced.

A protest drive around the site was planned. The airport operator Fraport asked people to travel to the airport by public transport or to allow extra time for the journey by car.

After the protest ended, a spokesperson said: "There were temporary disruptions because we had to close the B43." However, access to the terminal was possible for passengers at all times.

The farmers did not choose Frankfurt Airport at random. The protest was no longer just about agricultural diesel, but about fair competition, according to several of the participating farmers' associations. "What applies to aviation must also apply to us farmers: Aviation fuel is still not taxed because this would put German aviation at a competitive disadvantage." Frankfurt Airport and the cargo sector are symbolic of the integration of the German economy and agriculture into global supply chains and markets.

"North of Frankfurt Airport in an anti-clockwise direction, west around the airport via Morfelden to Cargo City South and, after a U-turn, back again in a clockwise direction. The tour ends in the direction of Schwanheim," is how the Hessian Farmers' Association explained the planned route./lfo/DP/he