Traffic chaos is expected in Madrid on Wednesday as thousands of farmers come out to protest against the government’s latest proposals, which they say jeopardise the economic viability of their farms.
On Monday, the main farmers’ organisations, including La Unión de Uniones de Agricultores y Ganaderos, Asaja, COAG and UPA, rejected the latest negotiating proposal presented by Agriculture Minister Luis Planas (PSOE/S&D), deciding to stage a large-scale “tractor demonstration”.
At least 500 tractors and 100 buses from all regions will take part in a large-scale demonstration against the government in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture in the city centre. Other farmers’ unions are expected to join them, Luis Cortés, coordinator of the Spanish Federation of Farmers’ and Livestock Breeders’ Unions, said on Tuesday.
As in other EU countries, Spanish farmers have taken to the streets in recent weeks demanding changes, including more flexibility in the EU CAP, compliance with the Food Chain Law – including the cancellation of the “sale at a loss” measure, which is an extension of a temporary tax cut on farm diesel – and aid for sectors affected by the country’s ongoing drought.
At least six “convoys” of tractors will arrive in Madrid early Wednesday morning from various motorways linking Spanish regions to the capital.
Last week, Planas presented a list of 18 measures in an attempt to respond to their demands, although almost all farmers’ organisations consider them “insufficient”. Cortes called the government’s latest proposal “deceptive”. According to the union coordinator, “none of these (18) measures will solve any of the problems” facing the sector.
Farmers are so outraged that they have warned they will turn to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to demand Agriculture Minister’s resignation if he does not “change course”.
The farmers’ union is demanding, among other things, that Spain’s current food chain law be completely revised and improved to allow for the identification and calculation of production costs, as since the law was reformed in 2021, “not a single sanction has been imposed for non-compliance with the minimum price,” Cortes said.
On 8 February, Spanish farmers poured 25 thousand litres of wine in the city of Ciudad Real as a sign of protest. The protesters demanded that the authorities allocate money for irrigation.
Spanish farmers have been holding numerous demonstrations and protest marches on many motorways and roads almost across the country since early February. Agrarians are blocking major transport hubs and trying their best to draw attention to the problems in the agricultural industry not only in Spain, but also in the European Union.
