Information
On Wednesday, traffic in the Spanish capital was severely disrupted as farmers gathered in the city centre to protest against Spanish and EU agricultural policies. Five columns of tractors made their way to Madrid’s Independence Square before marching towards the Agriculture Ministry. The protest caused substantial disruptions to public transport and traffic in some areas of the city came to a halt as protesters filled the streets. This demonstration follows weeks of protests in various European countries, including Germany.
Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas expressed his hope that the demonstration would be peaceful and without any violence. The Spanish government blocked the entry of 150 tractors to the city, allowing only the 500 vehicles registered by the organizers while requesting authorization for the protest.
Like their European counterparts, the Spanish farmers are demanding less bureaucracy related to the European Union’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and for the bloc’s environmental rules to be relaxed. They also demand that prices reflect rising production costs, as farmers want to include production costs in the final product so they can avoid losing their goods.
Source: EFE, Reuters, AFP
Assessment
These protests have so far appeared to be quite effective, getting numerous countries to pledge to lobby the EU to change specific laws relating to farming. They have likely gained significant public support as they highlight troubles within their industry while causing significant disruption. Interestingly, their protests have had the opposite reactions to similar disruptive protests such as “Just stop oil”, which received considerable pushback.
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