Thousands of protesting farmers used tractors to block roads across Spain, causing chaos for the third day in a row amid protests across Europe against cheap imports and soaring costs due to strict regulations. Ta.
On Thursday, rows of slow-moving tractors severely disrupted traffic in various parts of Spain, including Valencia in the east, Astoria in the north and Castilla-La Mancha in the center.
COAG, ASAJA and UPA, which had planned Thursday’s protest with the support of the country’s major farmers’ unions, took part in the protest for the first time.
“If the tractors are protesting, it’s because the rural world is feeling suffocated,” ASAJA posted on X (formerly Twitter).
In Barcelona, the country’s second city, dozens of tractors surrounded the local parliament, after about 1,000 tractors arrived in the city center the previous day.
Transport industry federation FENADISMER reported that the blockade affected 80,000 trucks and estimated the economic impact to be around $129 million.
The demonstrations prompted the government to allocate an additional $290 million in subsidies to support up to 140,000 farmers.
Furthermore, the European Union’s executive body, the European Commission, has abandoned a proposal to reduce pesticide use in the region by 50%.
Spain’s Interior Ministry reported that police detained 12 people in Wednesday’s lockdown, adding that the government and retailers were not prepared for sudden food shortages.
Protests began in Spain on Tuesday, following a spillover from other EU countries, particularly France, where farmers blocked highways and ports in Málaga and Castellón, as well as major thoroughfares in Barcelona and elsewhere.
Farmers across Europe have faced widespread protests against soaring costs, exorbitant fuel prices, excessive bureaucracy and environmental protection obligations related to the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the upcoming Green Deal. expressing dissatisfaction.
In light of the ongoing protests, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised to streamline regulations to implement the CAP and strengthen legislation to prevent farmers from selling their produce at a loss.
Spain’s agricultural sector, one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables, is facing difficulties mainly due to the minimal heavy rains that have plagued the Iberian Peninsula for the past three years.