Farmers claim that the EU imposes more environmental and health regulations that increase their costs but does not properly monitor production from outside. The heart of Madrid was blocked by thousands of farmers and 500 heavy-duty tractors this week, marking the third week of rural protests at the Agriculture Ministry.
Roads and highways across Spain have been blocked by tractor marches causing huge traffic jams throughout February. The confrontation with the police trying to open the roads sometimes turns violent. Farmers are protesting in several other EU countries as well, including France, Holland, and Italy. They are primarily angered by increasing environmental requirements, perceived unfair imports from third countries, and excessive bureaucracy.
The upcoming meeting of EU agriculture ministers is set to be a crisis meeting. The Commission has already eased its environmental requirements and promises that a free trade agreement with the South American Mercosur countries will not be finalized without full reciprocity. Spain plans to propose changes to the directives based on its own legislation.
Despite the green fields in Spain even in winter, the number of farms is dwindling as young people often migrate to the cities. According to a study by Caixa Bank, 60 percent of the country’s hundreds of thousands of farms make less than 15,000 euros per year. About 40 percent of the property owners are over 65 years old.
Small farmers protesting for the viability of their farms claim that their “measure is full”. Their banners warn, “if we don’t produce, you won’t eat”. These protests are widely understood by the public. In Madrid, the tractors were met with smiles and encouragement.
Producer prices are a critical issue. Farming organizations state that producing a kilo of vegetables or fruits can be more expensive than the price paid to the producer, even though the final consumer prices in markets are much higher. Many factors contribute to this, but the EU is blamed for allowing duty-free imports from several third countries.
Spanish farmers assert that the EU only imposes environmental and health regulations that increase their costs but does not adequately monitor production from outside. Spain has a law on the minimum price for producers in the food chain, but supermarket buyers can avoid it and buy cheaper tangerines or tomatoes from, for example, neighboring Morocco.
Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, plans to propose to his EU colleagues on Monday that the provisions of the Minimum Price Act for Spanish producers should also be applied to imports as part of EU directives.
The protesters also criticize the EU for daily accounting obligations that require IT. The Union gives instructions on when and what can be sown, and fields should still be left fallow. Farms must reduce fertilizer use by 20 percent by 2030, and the use of pesticides is set to be halved.
Under the pressure of protests and the approaching European elections, the Commission recently withdrew its demands regarding pesticides. Additionally, farms of less than 10 hectares are promised to be exempted from control. One female farmer participating in the tractor marches told TV cameras, “We are farmers, not accountants.”
The war in Ukraine has raised fertilizer and energy prices. In Spain, the government has increased the minimum wage by more than 50 percent in five years, making the use of seasonal labor significantly more expensive. To make matters worse, droughts are worsening in many areas and irrigation restrictions are threatening agriculture.
Spain’s left-wing government sees the far-right party Vox behind the farmers’ movement, but the protesters say they are not marching under political slogans, but to defend their livelihoods. Some protests have been organized by the agricultural sector’s own interest organizations, while some have been involved.
In summary, the number of farms is decreasing in Spain with thousands of small farmers protesting by blocking highways and driving tractors into cities. They oppose the EU’s increasing environmental requirements, consider duty-free imports from third countries unfair competition, and demand better producer prices.
Similar farmer protests are also taking place in several other EU countries for similar reasons. These protests are set to mark the meeting of EU agriculture ministers next Monday. The commission has already promised concessions to farmers. In Spain, agriculture employs 3.6% of the workforce year-round, but the share of GDP is less than 2.5%.
More than 900,000 farms exist in Spain, half of which are less than 5 ha. The number of farms is decreasing, with 40% of the current owners being over 65 years old. According to a recent study, the average annual income of farms is around 50,000 euros, but on three out of five farms, the income is less than 15,000 euros.
