The transport sector estimates daily losses of 35 million euros due to the country-wide Spanish farmers’ protests over French Wine
Farmers continued their protests today, Thursday, February 8, for the third consecutive day. Across multiple locations in Spain, tractors, barricades, and pickets blocked roads and motorways. Agricultural organisations also joined the protests in Ciudad Real, Huesca, Ávila, and Salamanca.
Independent farmers and those summoned by the professional agricultural organizations Asaja, COAG, and UPA continue their protests. This involved road blockades using tractors, barricades, or pickets; occasional blockades at logistic nodes such as industrial estates; and their arrival in provincial capitals such as Salamanca, Logroño, or Pamplona.
More sporadic are the violent acts, with police reporting that a Guardia Civil officer in the south of Badajoz was injured while trying to prevent the closure of the A-66 motorway.
The protesters, organized via WhatsApp, demand relaxation of the demands of European environmental policies and inclusion of clauses in trade agreements with third countries to ensure that their crops are produced under the same conditions as in the EU.
On Tuesday, February 6, the Agriculture Ministry announced about €270 million in aid to 140,000 farmers to compensate for Spain’s severe drought and problems caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Agriculture Minister Luis Planas Puchades met with farmers’ unions on Friday, but failed to persuade them to halt the protests.
Read more: Tractor Blockade Bring Málaga’s Port To A Standstill
