MADRID: French, Polish, and Greek farmers, incensed about what they perceive to be unfair competition, staged further protests on Wednesday by bringing hundreds of tractors to Madrid.
Reporters said that at the crack of dawn, Spain’s Union of Unions syndicate rallied farmers, seeking fair costs for goods and competition with non-EU imports.
A farmer from Pancorbo, more than 300 kilometers north of Madrid, named Jose Angel Lopez stated, “We have to strike in Madrid, because that’s where everyone is.” He remarked, “We have to shake things up a little.”
Top union representative Luis Cortes told TVE public television that Spanish farmers and animal breeders have been protesting since February 1 for product prices to meet their production costs and for non-EU imports to be subject to the same laws as they do.
According to Cortes, a series of initiatives unveiled last week by the left-wing government in Spain fell short of adequately addressing the issues.
Farmers in Spain are a part of a larger movement that has resulted in roadblocks in a number of nations, including Greece, France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
French farmers effectively put a deadline on the government’s response to their demands by blocking roads and dumping produce, after which they would likely resume larger-scale protests.
Thus far, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has been unable to allay the complaints of farmers, which, like those of other regions, include poor wages, stringent environmental regulations, and competition from less expensive imports from outside the EU. But after promising reforms to the government, farm unions last month managed to put an end to devastating statewide rallies.
Thousands of farmers in Greece called for financial assistance to halt their four-week protest, but the administration claimed it was out of money.
SOURCE: DAWN NEWS
