Spanish farmers have joined their European counterparts in a second day of tractor demonstrations across the country, blocking key roads and motorways to demand changes in European Union farming policies and measures to combat rising costs.
Thousands of farmers used their tractors to block roads across Spain for the second day straight amid Europe-wide protests against cheaper imports and heavy regulation on 8th February.
The protests led to several main national highways being blocked. Access to the eastern port of Castellon and the southeastern Jerez airport were temporarily cut off.
On social media, X user ‘@djmoi9’ who posted a video on the social media platform showcasing the massive line of vehicles spread along a motorway in Castile and Leon, north-western Spain, said: “How great we are if we farmers and ranchers want to be.
“Let the world know that we exist, that we are the ones who provide the food, the beers, the wine… Insist, resist, and don’t give up.”
According to the Spanish General Directorate for Road Traffic, farmers are blocking dozens of roads, mainly in Andalusia in the south, the northeastern region of Catalonia, and Navarra in the north.
Spanish media have said that an estimated 1,000 tractors were heading slowly towards Barcelona’s city centre, causing major traffic jams on roads into the northeastern port capital of Spain’s Catalonia region.
The protests, involving several thousand people on tractors and in other vehicles, haven’t been backed by Spain´s three main farming organizations, which have called for separate protests in the coming days.
Several media reports have linked many of the protests Tuesday and Wednesday to conservative groups. So far there have been no serious incidents. The demonstrations are expected to continue over the coming weeks with a major protest in Madrid on Feb. 21.
Speaking in Spain’s parliament yesterday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged to help farmers and take their case to the Europe Union.