Farmers’ protests continue to disrupt several European countries as they rally against increasing production costs and unfair competition from non-European products. They also criticize the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy, further exacerbated by a severe drought causing crop shortages.
In Poland, farmers are particularly aggrieved by the influx of Ukrainian produce, which has been facilitated by the EU’s decision to lift import tariffs, leading to reduced demand and prices for local wheat. Moldovan farmers have blocked the main road to Romania, demanding government subsidies to combat the impact of the drought.
In Spain, hundreds of tractors from various regions converged in Catalonia, blocking one of the entrances to the port of Tarragona, resulting in an 83% reduction in truck movement to and from the port. The Catalan Farmers’ Union, a key organizer of the protests, highlighted the “unfair competition” from imported products that do not meet European standards.
Spanish farmers, like their European counterparts, have condemned the complex EU agricultural policy, restrictive standards, low crop prices, and the increased cost of production and fuel following sanctions against Russia.
Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas, has called for a meeting with professional organizations including the Young Farmers’ Agricultural Association (Asaja), the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations (COAG), and the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA).
This is the second meeting Planas has held with agricultural organizations in February, following an initial meeting before the protests that have since paralyzed roads and erected blockades across Spain.
In France, following weeks of blockades, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal met with representatives from the National Union of Farming Syndicates and Young Farmers. President Emmanuel Macron is set to receive agricultural unions at the Elysee Palace ahead of France’s largest agricultural fair, scheduled from February 24 to March 3.
Italy is witnessing three major protests this week in Rome by agricultural workers and entrepreneurs. The first took place in Castel di Leva, the agricultural and wine-growing heart of the capital, with a press conference and several demonstrators. The second is planned under the Capitoline Building on February 15, where farmers will gather in Piazza del Campidoglio, hoping to speak with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri about agricultural issues.
The third protest, a large mobilization at Circus Maximus, Rome’s oldest and largest chariot racing stadium, is expected to be massive, with participation from major national and European unions, potentially involving around 20,000 people.
In Belgium, farmers have partially blocked the Port of Antwerp with hundreds of tractors, causing significant traffic disruptions in one of the continent’s largest ports by cargo volume.
