“If this is not fixed, war, war, war!”, this was the most hackneyed slogan yesterday by the farmers who gathered in front of the Ministry of Agriculture on behalf of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. Called by the agricultural organizations Asaja and Coag, it was the first time they took to the streets since last December 6 the European Commission announced that it had sealed the pact with the countries of the bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), as well that tempers were especially heated. The message was clear, if the Government does not give some indication that the agreement is not set in stone, by the beginning of 2025 there will be massive mobilizations in Spain. Everyone thought about a reissue of last February’s tractor units, and as confirmed by a Coag spokesperson to ABC, that option is on the table. However, Asaja did not specify what the mobilizations will be like. ABC surveyed the mood in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, and it is clear that farmers want to take to the streets en masse. What they fear: a massive entry of products that compete under more advantageous conditions. 1 ABC Álvaro Ortega, Palencia «If the tractors have to be removed, they will be removed»Álvaro is a cereal crop producer in Palencia, the fourth generation of his family and he assures that he will do everything possible not to be the last; Also, get your tractor out on the road. He describes the agreement as “unfair” and believes that, under current conditions, “it is like playing a soccer match in which one of the teams plays with his hands.”2 ABC Anna Giribet, Lleida “We will stop being profitable” Anna Giribet, a rancher from Almacelles (Lleida) does not understand that the Government of Spain has not aligned itself with France and declared itself in favor of the agreement, given that “we do not have an industry here, we are a cattle country and it only harms us”, ditch. He has attended the demonstration with his children, to “teach them that they have to defend their rights,” he explains.3 ABC José, Cádiz “There is a desire to protest” José, a farmer and rancher from Cádiz, fears that the agreement will lead to the entry of thousands of tons of beef – what he produces – that will not meet the same quality standards. It reminds us that in Mercosur phytosanitary and genetically modified crops are used, which are prohibited here.4 ABC José Luis and José Ángel, Madrid “We are very afraid of the agreement” José Luis and José Ángel, two cereal producers in the Community of Madrid, say they have fear because the pact opens the door to the arrival of products with which they cannot compete. They will go out more often, “even if there are four of us,” says José Ángel, because they don’t want their profession to “end up being lost.”5 ABC Erica and Ángela, Guadalajara “I would like to pass the job on to my son.”Érica and Ángela are two young rural women, the first a farmer and the second a rancher. They are willing to go to the demonstrations, if they are called, because they believe that Mercosur will make things “very difficult” for them. Ángela has a son to whom she would like to pass on the job, but she believes that if free trade is opened, prices will reach such highs that it will be impossible.6 Belén Díaz Pedro Martínez, Villareal «My grandson will not dedicate himself to the fields, I will “I will remove the idea” Pedro Martínez, a cereal producer from Villareal, states that free trade would be the “total ruin” of the countryside. “We cannot compete with people who pay their workers eight euros a day,” he says, adding that the agreement would put an end to an aging sector that is incapable of attracting young people. For him, nothing strange because the current conditions do not make it easy. Martínez is clear, when his grandson grows up he will try to convince him not to work the land. 7 Belén Díaz María, Toledo “It will be difficult for cattle to survive” María, a rancher from Toledo, considers it “very unfair” that they are going to be forced to compete with countries in which the same guarantees as in the EU are not met, after years in which they have made efforts to adapt to the battery of regulations that Brussels has been imposing.
#countryside #rebels #Mercosur #tractors #streets
