Farmers block roads across Catalonia to protest the Mercosur agreement

GironaCatalan farmers and ranchers are once again taking to the roads in protest. Since early Thursday morning, nearly a hundred tractors belonging to farmers from the Girona region have been indefinitely blocking the AP-7 motorway and the N-II highway near Pontós, in the Alt Empordà. They are protesting European agricultural policy, particularly regarding [specific policy/regulations]. the agreement with MercosurThe protest, which allows trade agreements with Latin America, as well as the planned cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), was called by Revolta Pagesa, and members of the larger farmers' union, Unió de Pagesos, are also participating individually. The tractors entered the highway around 3:00 AM and blocked traffic, forcing the closure of the road in both directions. Other demonstrations have also taken place across the country, including at the port of Tarragona, on the A-2 highway in Lleida, the C-16 highway in Central Catalonia, and at the Ares pass, in this case with the support of farmers from Northern Catalonia. The protesters plan to remain indefinitely, at least at the blockade in Alt Empordà, until they prevent the ratification of the Spanish government's agreement with Mercosur.

The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have deployed a strong police presence with public order units at the intersection of the AP-7 and N-II highways, a location that has become a regular site for farmers' protests in recent years. However, no incidents with the police have been reported. Police remain in the area and are directing affected vehicles around the road closure, causing queues and traffic jams. On the national highway, the farmers are now allowing private cars to pass, but not freight trucks.

Ready to spend the night

To access the Girona highway, the farmers cleared a path alongside a field, driving their tractors in, and placed tires across the road to block the tracks. From early morning, the atmosphere was calm, and the protesters prepared barbecues to enjoy throughout the day, while more farmers and ranchers arrived from all over the Girona region. Some were also leaving to take their livestock out to pasture, intending to return in a few hours. They built a covered porch using bales of straw, and many farmers brought tents to spend the night outdoors despite the low winter temperatures.

Complaint of "unfair competition"

The spokesperson for the Farmers' Guild in Girona, Jordi Ginabreda, explained to ARA that the blockade will be indefinite until the Mercosur agreement is withdrawn. "We're not going to move until the Spanish government makes a statement, and at the moment we haven't heard anything," he argued. For now, the Catalan government has offered to organize a meeting on Friday and convey their demands to the Ministry in Madrid. Regarding the agreement, the spokesperson points out that it is bad for farmers, but also for the public, since it "plays with food security": "We must bear in mind that food from Mercosur will arrive made with products that are illegal here and that help to have a much lower cost price than ours. With this agreement, they will be able to compete," he laments. In a statement, the sector indicates that the agreement represents "unfair competition" against them. For this reason, they ask that the Mercosur agreement not be signed – which is scheduled for next week – and that mirror clauses be implemented, that is, that the conditions for products coming from abroad be the same as those for products from our fields here. They also demand a "strong" Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and "realistic and adapted to the territory" health controls, in parallel with "efficient" management of wildlife and game. To all this, the farmers add the planned cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the The imposition of animal health protocols, which they consider "absurd and ineffective, designed from distant offices and completely disconnected from the reality of the countryside," is also criticized. They also condemn the government's failure to comply with the agreements signed in Cervera between the Catalan government and the Catalan Farmers' Guild. The sector points out that clear commitments were made that have not materialized. "Once again, promises remain just empty words while the countryside continues to suffer," they emphasize. Meanwhile, truckers have criticized the Catalan government, in this case for what they consider "collusion" with the farmers' protests. The director of the Asetrans truckers' association in Girona, Jordi Esparraguera, told ACN that he doesn't understand why a demonstration "that wasn't authorized" was allowed and reminded agricultural organizations that "the road is not the only place to demonstrate." For its part, the Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport The Spanish Confederation of Transport Companies (CETM), the main employers' association for transport companies in Spain, warned that the sector will refuse to load trucks with supplies if its drivers are not guaranteed safe passage through Catalonia and France.

French opposition

Catalonia is not the only European region experiencing protests against the Mercosur agreement. In Paris, for example, in full wave of cold and snowAround a hundred tractors managed to enter the city center despite the police presence, in a protest called by the main unions. The vehicles reached iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Porte d'Auteuil, while in other parts of France, such as the area around Bordeaux, actions like the blocking of fuel depots were also carried out. Besides expressing their opposition to European agricultural policy, the French farmers also chanted slogans against the management of contagious nodular dermatosis, which, as in Catalonia, has affected the French beef sector. The government maintains that it has been in dialogue with the sector, but warns that these mobilizations are illegal and considers the forced entry of tractors into the capital unacceptable, especially given the current tension surrounding mandatory health measures against the dermatosis. French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that his country will oppose Friday's vote on the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. In a statement, Macron warned that the signing of the pact "is most likely not the end of this story" and reiterated the "unanimous rejection" that exists in France. To prevent its ratification, Paris would need a blocking minority in the EU, which currently does not appear to exist. Brussels offered concessions to Italy to secure its support.