Sánchez announces a package of measures to help young farmers amid protests against the Mercosur agreement

BarcelonaSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of measures on Wednesday to facilitate generational renewal in agriculture. The government presented this proposal after days of protests—particularly intense in Catalonia, but which have spread to other parts of Spain—against the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement (Mercosur being the trade bloc comprised of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), which Sánchez himself has openly supported after Spain had previously expressed its support. According to a statement from the Spanish government, Sánchez considers ensuring generational renewal in agriculture "urgent" and a "top priority," and he presented the proposal to a group of young farmers and ranchers. Among these measures is the mobilization of publicly owned agricultural land, some 17,000 rural properties in total, which will be made available to young farmers through a dedicated platform.

The state government also pledges to advocate to European institutions for 10% of EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds to be allocated to generational renewal, compared to the 6% proposed so far by the European Commission. "Bringing young people into this sector is in our best interest as a country," Sánchez added.

Protests against Mercosur

Sánchez's announcement comes after a wave of protests across the continent against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which faces staunch opposition from most EU agricultural organizations. In addition to countries like France, Poland, Belgium, and Hungary, the most intense demonstrations in Spain have been concentrated in Catalonia, where farmers blocked several roads (most notably the AP-7 motorway in the Alt Empordà region) and access to the port of Tarragona. Finally, Revolta Pagesa—the organization leading the mobilizations— lifted the cuts After meeting with the Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, and the President, Salvador Illa, who pledged to work with farmers to mitigate the effects of the Mercosur treaty on Catalan farmers.

The main criticism from European farmers is that the treaty will allow the entry of food produced in South American countries that do not adhere to the strict criteria the EU itself imposes on its own producers. This forces European farmers to compete in their own countries against products that do not comply with the EU food regulations they must follow. However, last Friday, Sánchez himself celebrated that a majority of countries—including Spain—had cast enough votes to approve the trade agreement, which will be signed this Saturday. The Spanish Prime Minister said the treaty was good for the Spanish economy because it will allow Spanish companies to "enter new markets, export more, and create more jobs." The Spanish Prime Minister's defense contrasts with Ordeig's position, who admitted that some points of the agreement "worry" him because of the negative impact they could have on the country's farmers. In fact, an extraordinary meeting of the Agricultural Sector Roundtable, convened by Ordeig, took place this Wednesday. Unió de Pagesos, the main Catalan farmers' union, has confirmed its attendance at the meeting due to its "responsibility to represent its members," but has criticized the meeting's convocation, from which it expects no results. According to a statement from Unió de Pagesos, the regional minister "knows perfectly well that there is nothing new to report, and what he and the Catalan government should do is stop making empty promises." Once the meeting concluded, the national coordinator of Unió de Pagesos, Raquel Serrat, reminded attendees that the Catalan government "has no jurisdiction" over the EU-Mercosur agreement, but does have "the capacity, if it so chooses, to implement strategies to defend local, Catalan, and Spanish production." Furthermore, Serrat also confirmed that the union will call for two new days of protest, on January 19th in Camp de Tarragona and on January 22nd in Terres de l'Ebre, before attending the nationwide demonstration in Madrid on February 11th. "Catalan tractors will also be there, with a demonstration in front of the Ministry [of Agriculture] to demand that the CAP reform include real aid for the sector and that the planned cuts be reversed, as well as that they consider rectifying their part in these international treaties that are currently blocking them."