Why are farmers blocking roads in more and more cities in Europe?

The trucks blocking traffic in Paris, Berlin, Brussels or Rome have become the symbol of the growing indignation of groups of farmers and ranchers who demand improvements for their sector in the European Union and in their own countries, in order to obtain better prices for their products and less bureaucracy to carry out their work.

TO LOOK: More than 100 detained in France over agricultural protests

The epicenter of the protest movement is in France, where farmers have been mobilizing since January 18 and have already announced that they will maintain the blockade of several motorways leading to Paris despite the government having made some concessions.

Authorities are closely monitoring the convoy of 200 to 300 tractors that left southwest France heading north on Monday. According to the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, across France there were more than 100 blocking points and around 10 thousand protesters this Wednesday.

More than 100 people were arrested on Wednesday in France, at the Rungis wholesale food market, the largest in Europe, near Paris.

Rabies has spread across Europe. On Tuesday, Spanish agricultural unions announced that they will join their European counterparts with “mobilizations” against “the difficult conditions and suffocating bureaucracy” of the European Union.

Farmers from the CR47 union gather as police block their convoy of tractors bound for Paris, France, in Chateauneuf-sur-Loire, near Orleans, on January 31, 2024. (Photo by Alain JOCARD/AFP). (ALAIN JOCARD/)

Millions of people have had difficulty going to work or had medical appointments canceled due to lockdowns.

The list of complaints is extensive and varies in each union or country. Most farmers are asking for emergency help for a sector in crisis, in some places hit by drought. They also require less bureaucracy and better remuneration for producers.

For many farmers, the European Union and imports from countries outside the bloc are mainly responsible for the crisis in the sector, which, they denounce, translates into a drop in their profits and a loss of competitiveness in relation to foreign products.

Specifically, angry sectors seek changes in community production policies that they consider restrictive, especially those related to the use of pesticides.

Amid mounting pressure, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized those who “blame” the EU for all ills and warned that many French farmers would not earn a salary without help from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Among the sector’s concerns is also a trade agreement that is being promoted between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur. In an open letter to the head of the community Executive, the Committee of Agrarian Organizations and Community Cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca) warned that promoting the pact would be seen as “a new provocation”.

A truck with the banner “Our end will be your hunger” next to a fire where several men warm themselves at the blockade of the A-15 highway in Argenteuil, north of Paris, France, on January 29, 2024. (Photo EFE/ EPA/YOAN VALAT)

European producers insisted that there are more urgent actions to take, such as “finally deciding on the much-needed derogations from Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) conditionality” or the concerns raised by eco-schemes and related agri-environment and climate commitments. for them.

They also ask the EU to guarantee “reciprocity in agricultural production standards and equal conditions to guarantee fair trade”.

On Wednesday, the European Commission, the European Union’s executive, announced proposals that represented a sudden, symbolic concession to the demands of the agricultural sector and outlined plans to protect them from cheap Ukrainian exports and allow them to use land they had . were forced to leave behind, into disuse for environmental reasons.

“I would just like to assure you that we do everything we can to listen to your concerns. I think we are addressing two very important concerns at the moment”, said Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic.

Italian farmers gather with their tractors during a protest in Cuneo, Piedmont, on January 31. (Photo: AFP) (MARCO BERTORELLO/)

“It is important that we listen to them,” said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. “They face enormous challenges,” such as adapting to climate change and combating environmental pollution, he noted.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture announced that he will receive the main agricultural associations on Friday, after sporadic concentrations of tractors occurred, mainly in León and Zamora, in the northwest of the country.

Farmers plan to protest in front of the EU headquarters during Thursday’s heads of government summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to freeze a free trade agreement with Mercosur due to strong opposition from European farmers and ranchers, and will raise the issue at the summit.

Source: Elcomercio