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MADRID, February 15 (EFE) – Spanish farmers held a large rally in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the capital Madrid on Thursday, continuing 10 days of nationwide protests.
Spanish farmers are demanding changes to the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), asking local and national governments to take steps to ensure fair incomes as production costs rise. . Similar protests have been seen across Europe in recent weeks.
Dozens of tractors have arrived at the ministry in central Madrid, forming protest convoys and barricades since February 6, causing severe disruption to traffic and food deliveries across the country, Minister Luis Planas said. was scheduled to meet with the head of the largest farm union. .
“We need fair prices now and we need policies that reflect those of non-EU countries,” one demonstrator told EFE.
“We need to get rid of the bureaucracy (…) that (the authorities) impose on us. (Farmers) want to be in the fields, they want to work and do what they know ( …) They want to go out and work in the fields, but they are not allowed to do so,” she added.
A government spokesperson said “no serious incidents were reported,” but some demonstrators at a rally in front of the Ministry of Agriculture threw eggs at the building.
Apart from the rally in Madrid, several other demonstrations and roadblocks were reported across Spain on Thursday. EFE
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