[U]: Farmers reach deal with government and cancel roadblocks

[The Farmer's Guild and the Catalan government reached a deal on Sunday night, with the guild calling off the roadblocks.]

Significant traffic disruptions were expected across Catalan roads throughout Monday due to multiple demonstrations organized by farmers.

However, on Sunday at 9:30 pm, the farmers' guild reached a deal with the Catalan government and decided to call off the planned roadblocks. Instead, workers will organize informative gatherings to explain their current situation.

The protests had been called by Revolta Pagesa and the Catalan Farmers' Guild, a new organization formed in response to last year’s demonstrations and the broader Farmers' Revolt movement. Before the deal, some farmers had already begun a slow-drive protest in Alt Urgell county, coinciding with the return of many vehicles to the cities after the weekend in the mountains.

Monday’s demonstrations were scheduled to coincide with the first anniversary of the massive February 2024 farmers' protests, during which hundreds of tractors blocked key roads for several days, culminating in demonstrations on Barcelona’s streets.

Most of Monday’s blockades were planned to take place outside Barcelona on 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

The protests would only have happened one week after farmers began demonstrating in Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, and Girona.

They claim that the "situation has not improved in one year," and for them, "nothing has changed."

'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

Catalan president Salvador Illa announced at midday on Sunday that the government will introduce 20 new measures aimed at reducing 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.

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