Farmers call off roadblocks after reaching deal with government

The Catalan Farmers' Guild, previously known as Revolta Pagesa, has decided to call off Monday's roadblocks after reaching an agreement with the Catalan government on Sunday night.

The Catalan agriculture minister, Òscar Ordeig, and guild representatives have reached a deal to avoid traffic disruptions, the image of them signing the document took place at around 9:30 pm, after having been negotiating all evening.

Despite calling off roadblocks across many highways across Catalonia, farmers will still hold some gatherings.

Farmers had organized the demonstration to commemorate the first anniversary of last February's roadblocks. Despite last year's events made headlines and affected thousands of drivers in Catalonia, farmers say that the "situation has not improved" during the last year and that "nothing has changed."

The agreement tackles 19 measures, such as increasing resources for hunting, especially rabbits, as well as reducing bureaucracy and improving taxes for professional farmers, such as lowering fuel and inheritance taxes.

Both parties also reached a deal on new plans regarding the drought emergency protocols, aid in case of any meteorological event, and measures against robberies, or creating a joint committee to supervise that all agreements are complied with.

Ordeig ensured that the agreement signed in the central municipality of Cervera "is good for the whole of Catalonia" and "the best possible scenario in the current situation."

The "government's objective is to defend farmers," he added, as the cabinet plans to comply with what was signed. 

Most of Monday’s blockades were scheduled outside Barcelona, with farmers having planned to target key highways such as:

• AP-7 at L'Aldea, in southern Catalonia
• A-2 between Jorba and Panadella, connecting Igualada and Cervera
• AP-2 between Les Borges Blanques and Soses, near Lleida
• AP-7 at Llorenç del Penedès, blocking traffic between Vilafranca del Penedès and El Vendrell
• AP-7 between Granollers and Sant Celoni, north of Barcelona

Farmers will now gather to explain the new agreement and the current situation just a week after some farmers began demonstrating in Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, and Girona. Some had already organized a slow drive on Sunday night in the Alt Urgell county.

Eduard Escolà, representative of the Farmers' Guild, said that they would not block any roads but organize informative gatherings to explain the agreement's details.

"We will cancel the roadblocks, but we want to continue pressuring," Escolà told media outlets in Cervera.

The cabinet and farmers will meet in 15 days for an update on the deals.

'Nothing has changed'

Guillem Solà is a farmer in Osona, central Catalonia, and a spokesperson for the Farmers' Guild. "There are a lot of things still pending," Solà says. 

"Some steps have been taken," he acknowledges, "but they are not very tangible steps. People in the countryside haven't seen any progress being made so far." 

During the wave of protests, the then government promised a single window for bureaucratic processes by March or April of last year, but it has still not been implemented. 

"The election and change of government also caused some delay, a transition," Solà says.

President announces new farmers' plan

The announcement between the government and the Farmers' Guild came a few hours after Catalan president Salvador Illa announced at midday that the cabinet would introduce 20 new measures to reduce bureaucracy for farmers.

Illa addressed the issue during the last day of the National Farmers' Union Congress in the inland city of Mollerussa.

Among the main measures, Illa announced that they would eliminate the tax for the health certificate required to move sick animals or waive the fertilizer usage registry for farmers already listed in the Integrated Exploitation registry.

"This is not the final solution, but a first step to prevent further setbacks," Illa said. "We all win, when we reach agreements, and today we have finished the day with a functioning country and no blocked roads," the president added.

The executive cabinet is expected to approve these measures on Tuesday during its weekly meeting.