These are the companies that have closed due to the hauliers' strike

BarcelonaThe truckers' strike is having a direct impact on large food companies. Some have already been forced to stop their activity temporarily because they cannot produce for lack of raw materials or because they cannot distribute their finished products due to the truckers' industrial action.

Among the companies that have already stopped their activity is Danone. After it warned yesterday that it was at imminent risk, this Wednesday the company has stopped production at one of its four dairy plants, although it has declined to say which one, and two more are at "imminent risk" due to lack of milk. It has also stopped production at one of the three water bottling plants for brands such as Font Vella. "All in all, we are trying to comply with minimum services so that there is no shortage of products," company sources have explained to ARA.

In addition to Danone, canning company Calvo, biscuit company Cuétara, sugar company Azucarera and agri-food cooperative Dcoop have had to halt production. Heineken, Mahou San Miguel and Lactalis might have to join them soon, to the point that Heineken has warned that it runs the risk of not being able to serve its products to shops, bars and restaurants. Nestlé and Estrella Damm are having difficulties and have problems to receive and deliver goods.

Pickets cut off Litoral ring road

In the midst of this avalanche of closures, pickets have continued to cut the access to the port of Barcelona on Wednesday (which only received 20% of the trucks it usually does). For the first time since the strike began, some 200 truckers have cut the Litoral ring road in both directions. The cut began at the Zona Franca in the Besòs direction, at exit 14, at half past nine in the morning. It caused long queues, and continued until 11 am.

Taxi drivers' slow drive

But truck drivers are not the only ones protesting against the increase in fuel prices. Cab drivers have also done it, with a slow drive that started after 10 am at Barcelona airport's T1 terminal, making its way towards Parliament. Around 500 taxi drivers are participating, and the drive caused traffic problems. At 11 o'clock in the morning they were driving through Gran Via at around Plaça Espanya.

The hauliers' strike, initially called by the Platform in Defense of the Transport Sector, already has the support of other associations, such as Fenadismer, which belongs to the National Road Transport Committee (CNTC). The mobilisation will continue until the Spanish government gives details of the measures it announced on Monday afternoon, when it offered €500m for the sector to cope with the increase in fuel prices but did not specify how this would be used. The Spanish government has announced this morning a new meeting with the CNTC hauliers department, to be held this Thursday from 11.30, to address in a "concrete and defined way" the government's measures and "maintain the dialogue as long as necessary with a will to reach an agreement". Fenadismer warns that they will not leave the table until these measures are detailed. This meeting was initially scheduled for Friday.