As in many other parts of Spain, farmers and ranchers from across the region have joined together today to protest in Fraga.
From early Tuesday morning, February 6th, tractors, vans, and trucks from all the municipalities of the Bajo/Baix Cinca region gathered at the Merco Fraga facilities. According to some attendees, more than 200 vehicles participated in the demonstration, which began around 10:00 a.m. and quickly caused traffic jams on access roads and within the city of Fraga itself. The A2, AP-2, and N-211 highways, as well as their access roads, were the most affected by the traffic disruptions caused by the protests from the agricultural sector.
" This is about people ."
Neither unions nor politicians had called for the protest, which is why it had garnered so much support from farmworkers, some people pointed out. The demonstration was organized through social media and WhatsApp groups, without a single organizer and without any union or political logos. " This isn't about saving a business, it's about the livelihoods and way of life of thousands of families"; "The sector can't take it anymore, and that's why protests are happening all over the country"; "Someone has to listen to us—the sub-delegation, the provincial council, the ministry, whoever—but this can't go on"; "They have to decide if they want agriculture and livestock farming to continue being valuable sectors in this country or if they want them to collapse ," these are some of the phrases and complaints the sector is proclaiming through various channels, hoping someone will hear their demands.
There is no agreed-upon manifesto
There is no clear demand or agreed-upon manifesto. The sector has so many complaints that it's difficult to express them all in a single document. The use and limitations of plant protection products; the less stringent measures and lack of control in countries outside the European Union, such as Morocco, where the same restrictions on chemical use don't exist and where labor wages are much lower than in Spain; the endless bureaucracy and the field logbook, which means more office hours on top of the workday in the fields, or outsourcing this task at a higher cost; the increase in raw materials and fuel costs; the regulations of the 2030 Agenda; the animal welfare law; the lack of support from public administrations… The list of grievances seems endless for farmers, a group that complains of constant mistreatment.
Ultimately, it's understandable how difficult it is to agree on a single, common manifesto because both farmers and ranchers are overwhelmed daily by bureaucratic hurdles and constantly emerging new regulations. The sector has simply said, "ENOUGH!"
And as some of the protesters rightly point out, "If the countryside doesn't produce, the city doesn't eat."
