FILE PHOTO: A view of a truckers' protest on the BR 381 highway in Betim, Minas Gerais state, February 24, 2015. REUTERS/Washington Alves

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A federal judge in Brazil has ruled that striking truck drivers cannot block traffic during a demonstration planned for Monday in the state of Paraná to protest higher fuel prices.

Drivers can only protest in multiple-lane highways, using no more than half of the lanes, according to the judge’s decision. The judge also limited the protest to the morning hours.

Truckers’ unions are subjected to a fine of 100,000 reais ($26,757) per hour if they disobey the decision.

Farmers are struggling worldwide as the rise in diesel prices has hurt profits in the agricultural sector. In Brazil, truckers complain that diesel prices have climbed 43 percent since July 2017.

On Friday, Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Wellington Moreira Franco, said the government is discussing possible tax cuts to reduce diesel prices.