Spanish farmers block roads again

Farmers once again blocked several Spanish highways this Wednesday (7), in protest against European agricultural policy and the precariousness of the sector, which the left-wing government promised to improve.

The protesters, organized via WhatsApp, gathered since dawn with their tractors on several roads, mainly in the regions of Castile-La Mancha (center), Andalusia (south), Navarra (north) and Catalonia (northeast), according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT).

In Catalonia, hundreds of tractors arrived in Barcelona for a rally in front of the regional government headquarters, where representatives said they would welcome protesters.

The protests, which advanced to the sound of horns, caused major traffic jams, including in the border region with France.

In Málaga, a southern city whose port was blocked on Tuesday, dozens of tractors once again paralyzed traffic on several streets, City Hall said.

In Granada, also in the south, five farmers were arrested after clashes with authorities, according to the press.

The Spanish Confederation of Goods Transport (CETM) asked the government in a statement for “measures to prevent transport from being, once again, hostage to the protests”.

The CETM said it understands that the situation in the countryside “is critical”, but called for an end to the “indiscriminate roadblocks because the biggest losers are the transport companies”.

– “Outstretched hand” –

This Wednesday's protests were not called by Spain's three main farmers' unions, Asaja, Coag and UPA, which, however, have other demonstrations planned for the coming days.

Like their colleagues in other European countries who are also protesting, Spanish farmers complain about the bureaucracy and complexity of European regulations, the low selling prices of their products and the competition from foreign products, which they consider unfair.

“These are questions that we have raised with the authorities for some time and for which we have not had adequate answers,” UPA secretary general Marcos Alarcón told state radio RNE, who called for “unity” from farmers in the face of the various requests for demonstrations.

The President of the Government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, stated this Wednesday in Congress that his office “is with the field”, and questioned the measures “taken in the last five years” to support the sector.

Sánchez promised to improve the 2013 law on the food chain to avoid losses and simplify the application of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), considered excessively bureaucratic by farmers.

“We extend our hand to continue, with dialogue and commitment, the work to search for solutions”, highlighted the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas.

Spain, often described as the “garden of Europe”, is the main European exporter of fruit and vegetables, but the agricultural sector is experiencing difficulties especially due to the drought that has hit the country for three years.