Farmers warn things are 'same or worse' one year after mass protests 

One year ago, thousands of farmers protested across Catalonia, blocking highways and descending en masse on Barcelona, with 2,000 tractors in the city center.  

Some of the protest leaders warn that one year later, things are "the same or worse," and are once again calling for action. 

Toni Martínez, a farmer from Lleida, western Catalonia, who started the calls for protests via WhatsApp, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) that while there are more talks with officials than before, progress is minimal. 

Farmers continue to face the same issues that sparked the demonstrations last year, such as excessive bureaucracy and low prices, and now there are new threats like the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. 

Martínez is convinced that more protests will happen soon and says he would not hesitate to block highways again if necessary. 

Excessive bureaucracy 

Guillem Solà is a farmer in Osona, central Catalonia, and a spokesperson for the Farmers' Guild – Gremi de la Pagesia – a new organization born out of the protests and the Farmers' Revolt movement.  

"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.  

Eduard Escolà, Farmers' Guild spokesperson in Camp de Tarragona, southern Catalonia, blames excessive bureaucracy and low prices for a lack of young farmers.  

"Concerning bureaucracy, progress has been hard to see, and we need immediate results because people are quitting every day. There are no new farmers because people see it's not viable," he says. 

The sector is facing a generational crisis, and many fear that the lack of support will lead to its collapse. 

"To guarantee that the country has a vibrant agricultural sector, we need much more tangible and immediate results," Escolà says. 

New threats 

Other key concerns include a lack of progress on drought aid, unfair competition from imports, and inadequate support for the agricultural sector. 

A new threat, according to the sector, is the agreement with Mercosur, for free trade between the European Union and Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Paraguay. 

"Our political leaders defend the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and at the same time they are defending the Mercosur agreement," Escolà says, arguing that these are "polar opposites." 

South American agri-food products arrive in the EU "with few health and traceability guarantees" compared to the food produced in Europe, he claims. 

"If we don’t see concrete changes soon, we may have no choice but to go back to the streets," Escolà warns.