Madrid Desk, Feb 6 (EFE).- Thousands of Spanish farmers blocked roads and main accesses to cities across the country on Tuesday as part of a new wave of protests against the European Union’s agricultural policy.
Spanish farmers have joined their European colleagues in France and other countries in staging protests to demand changes in the law.
These changes include more flexibility of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), compliance with the food chain law – which, among other things, eliminates the so-called ‘sale at a loss’ -, the extension of the temporary tax reduction on agricultural diesel and aid for sectors affected by the ongoing the drought in the country.
The Civil Guard and the local police forces were deployed in the affected areas to regulate traffic and avoid incidents.
The protests were organized through social networks and WhatsApp and are not connected to those called by the country’s main agricultural organizations for the coming days.
A large demonstration before the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food in Madrid is planned for Feb 21.
Several organizations have shown their support for the protests, among them the Platform for the Defence of the Road Transport sector – which has announced an indefinite strike starting Saturday – and several cooperatives, which remained closed in solidarity with their demands.
In the regions of La Rioja (north) and Zaragoza (northeast), farmers held unauthorized protests since they didn’t communicate them to the police.
In Catalonia (northeast), Valencia (east), Andalusia (south), Murcia (southeast) and Navarra (north), dozens of tractors blocked the main access ways to some of the country’s major cities.
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food highlighted that nearly 4 billion euro-aid packages – of which 1,380 million euros are direct aid – were approved in the last two years to support the sector.
The Ministry of the Interior announced that it will establish necessary security devices to guarantee the right of farmers to demonstrate without altering citizen coexistence and security.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday that she would withdraw the proposal for a new law on the sustainable use of pesticides and promised that the agricultural sector would be involved in the framing of the next draft law. EFE
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