Farmers bring about 200 tractors to protest in Barcelona — Anadolu Agency
In Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, October 14, hundreds of farmers staged a protest, bringing about 200 tractors as well as buses and private cars. Participants demanded urgent measures over the structural crisis in Catalonia’s agricultural sector, Anadolu Agency reports.
The action was organized by the agricultural union Unio de Pagesos. According to the union, more than a thousand representatives of the agricultural sector from different parts of Catalonia joined the demonstration. The protesters gathered near the Spanish government’s representation in Catalonia before heading to the regional agriculture department and the Palau de la Generalitat, where the Catalan government is based.
Reasons for the protest
Unio de Pagesos national coordinator Raquel Serrat said that participants do not intend to ease their protest. Among the factors that, according to her, have put the sector in a difficult position are rising production costs, reduced payments to farmers, and recent periods of historic drought.
The union stressed that agriculture and livestock farming can no longer depend on temporary measures and one-off subsidies. The organization also stated that basic food sovereignty must be guaranteed.
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What farmers are demanding
Unio de Pagesos is seeking direct aid of up to €17,000 for professional agricultural holdings to offset the consequences of the war in the Middle East. The union also called on Spain’s central government to reduce taxes on agricultural diesel fuel and VAT on agricultural products, introduce separate electricity tariffs for irrigation, and exempt agricultural machinery from periodic technical inspections.
Separately, the protesters are demanding clearer product labeling so consumers can see their origin. Farmers also voiced concern about possible violations of food-chain legislation, imports of products from outside the EU that, they say, do not meet the standards required of local producers, and proposed cuts to funding for the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy.
No official meeting with authorities was planned, but Catalonia’s agriculture department offered to receive union representatives. Unio de Pagesos said it had already submitted its demands through consultation platforms and called on the authorities to make firm commitments to resolve the issues raised.
