Farmers to block French-Spanish border on June 3 in new protest

Farmers' protest group Revolta Pagesa have called for a new demonstration on June 3 which will be coordinated between French and Spanish agricultural workers.

Farmers on both sides will block the border between France and Spain in a new protest.

The farmers are setting up this "historic" action, which will affect "all borders" between France and Spain, according to the Farmers' protest group during a press conference on Wednesday. 

The demonstration comes after numerous days of strikes and protests from agricultural workers across Catalonia, Spain, and all of Europe through the winter and spring and is planned right before the European elections on June 9.

The farmers want to "pressure" the European union to achieve "better food security" and to eliminate energy taxes that apply to them. 

"Because of the immobility shown by the state and European autonomous governments and their lack of commitment, involvement and concrete measure, we are forced to unite by creating a unitary block in defence of the primary sector," the farmers said. 

Revolta Pagesa is urging the Spanish and French governments to "start negatiations" to address their demands and "find satisfactory solutions."  

The protest will start on June 3 at ten in the morning, the farmers currently anticipate it will last for 24 hours but do not rule out that it might last for more days. 

"We will not stop until we achieve our demands," they said. 

European farmers revolt 

Farmers' protests have spread from across Europe to Catalonia. In early February, a week after thousands of farmers blockaded the European Parliament in Brussels, Catalan producers launched their own protests.   

After disrupting several major highways and staging a day-long blockade in Barcelona, Catalan farmers won several commitments from the Catalan government on multiple issues. 

 To learn more about the farmers' protests, listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode about the protests.