Thousands of farmers took to the streets across Spain on Tuesday, using tractors to block highways and key infrastructure in mass protests against European agricultural policies.
Protesters, called to action by the local farmers’ syndicate Union de Uniones as well as activists rallying on WhatsApp, gathered at dawn at dozens of road intersections, some of which lead to larger towns and cities. Intersections were also included.
The demonstrators, wearing sleeveless yellow hi-vis jackets, some waving Spanish flags, demanded concrete measures to help local residents address a range of challenges.
One banner read: “Without the countryside, there is no life,” while another said: “When you reach the end, you die.”
Demonstrators also warned of instability in the agricultural sector.
Transport authorities said the snail-paced tractors converged in and around the province of Toledo near Madrid, Murcia in the southeast, and Seville and Girona in the northeast.
Authorities at Malaga’s southern port announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the protesters had also blocked access routes to the port.
“The problems are accumulating and we are forced to demonstrate,” one grain producer told AFPTV on condition of anonymity, pointing to the burden placed on farmers by “excessive bureaucracy” and “low prices.”
“Rural areas need to have their voices heard.”
A similar message was conveyed by Spain’s three main agricultural unions, Asaha, Coag and UPA, which did not take part in Tuesday’s demonstration but will hold other protests later this week, particularly in the western city of Salamanca and the northern port on Thursday. He said he would do so. Bilbao city on Friday.
-Drought-
Against the hardships faced by the agricultural sector due to rising costs, rising fuel prices, high inflation, bureaucracy and environmental requirements in the EU’s latest Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the upcoming ‘Green Deal’; Angry farmers are holding protests across Europe.
Three unions will hold emergency talks with Agriculture Minister Luis Planas on Friday to take action, accusing EU agricultural policy of being too complex, with overly restrictive laws and allowing unfair competition from foreign exports. We agreed on that.
But the talks were not enough to avert a crisis that had been brewing since January in many EU member states, including Belgium, France, Germany and Italy.
“The government understands the sector’s concerns. We are aware of the situation and have been working closely with the government from the beginning,” said Pilar Alegría, a spokeswoman for Spain’s leftist government.
He said the government was trying to help people affected by the ongoing drought, with 140,000 farmers set to benefit from 270 million euros ($290 million) in subsidies. It is said that
Environment Minister Teresa Rivera also said on public radio that the government understands the concerns of the agricultural sector, given the drought and the “bureaucratic burden” it faces.
“We need to adapt Europe’s sustainability goals, the so-called European Green Deal, to the pace required by Europe’s agricultural sector,” he said.
But she also criticized the political “manipulation” of the EU’s environmental guidelines, most of which are not yet in force.
The EU’s Green Deal, a set of laws to mitigate climate change and strengthen environmental protection, has been harshly criticized by Spain’s far-right party Vox, which says it seeks to “destroy” Iberian agriculture.
As one of the continent’s leading fruit and vegetable exporters, Spain is often referred to as the “vegetable garden of Europe”.
However, the country’s agricultural sector is facing difficulties, mainly due to the lack of rainfall that has plagued the Iberian Peninsula for the past three years.
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