Farmers and ranchers from all over Spain have taken their tractors to the roads today for the sixteenth consecutive day, to ask for improvements in the sector, including demanding aid to face the droughts suffered by the countryside. Furthermore, they protest against European policies and their lack of profitability.
A total of 500 tractors and 100 buses have arrived in the Spanish capital to demonstrate in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, along with 59 cars and around 5,000 people. The farmers have entered in five different columns that converge in the capital, trying to collapse traffic in some sections.
The demonstration is called by Unión de Uniones, to which Platform 6-F has also confirmed its presence, which brings together farmers who are outside the most representative agricultural organizations (Asaja and Cogac).
The Government Delegation in the Community of Madrid has published the itineraries planned for the development of the agricultural demonstration: important incidents to road traffic are contemplated between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. In order to provide as much information as possible and minimize traffic problems, the use of public transport is recommended, especially the Madrid Metro and Cercanías.
The tractor routes, which have begun their journeys from Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, the Valencian Community, Castilla y León, the Community of Madrid, Andalusia and Catalonia, will access the capital from the different roads that link them to Madrid.
Since early today, up to 500 tractors have moved from five starting points: Torrejón de la Calzada, Arganda del Rey, Robregordo, El Espinar (Segovia) and Guadalajara. Some of the columns arrived yesterday and today the mobilization to the capital is celebrated amid strong security measures and a large security device deployed.
Depending on the origin of the agricultural vehicles, the main streets affected are Vía Lusitana, Marcelo Usera street, Princesa bridge, Legazpi roundabout, Paseo de las Delicias, Bustamante and Comercio streets, Menéndez Pelayo avenue, streets of O’Donnell and Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia (see below in more detail).
They also circulate on Avenida de la Hispanidad, A-2 towards Avenida de América, side of Avenida de América, Avenida de Logroño, Canillejas roundabout, Calle de Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia; and a third column goes through streets of Pirotecnia and Aurora Boreal, Avenida de la Democracia, Plaza de Alosno, Calle de Casalarreina, Avenida de Daroca, M-23, streets of O’Donnell and Alcalá and Plaza de la Independencia.
Finally, traffic is restricted on Nuestra Señora de Valverde street, Llano Castellano avenue, Mauricio Legendre, Enrique Larreta and Mateo Inurria streets, Pio XII avenue, Príncipe de Vergara and Alcalá streets and Plaza de la Independencia. as well as walks of Ruperto Chapí and Camoens, streets of Marqués de Urquijo, Alberto Aguilera, Carranza, Sagasta and Génova, Plaza de Colón, streets of Armada Española and Serrano and Plaza de la Independencia.
After arriving at the Plaza de la Independencia at 10:30 a.m., the demonstration began on foot, followed by 30 tractors, which runs from Puerta de Alcalá and Calle de Alfonso 2:00 p.m., although the march did not finally begin until 1:00 p.m.
500 tractors have been allowed to pass through, the figure provided by the organizers in the communication of the mobilization, but another 150 tractors have not been allowed to pass, as they exceed the number communicated and authorized. The only notable incident has been the temporary closure of the A-42, dissolved by the Civil Guard.
The National Police device has blocked Alcalá Street in the direction of Cibeles to prevent those gathered, several dozen of them attached to the police cordon, from being able to jump over it. Many of them continue to sound horns and cowbells and display banners calling for solutions for the countryside.
After the demonstration, traffic will be affected again on the same routes due to the return of the tractors to their point of origin, so disruptions are expected throughout the day.
Delegation has detailed the itineraries of the demonstration.
This mobilization occurs five days after the meeting that the Minister of Agriculture had with the agricultural associations in Madrid and ended without an agreement despite the measures offered by the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas,
Farmers and ranchers ask for “fair prices” and “eliminate bureaucracy in the countryside” and assure that they are demonstrating because of the 18 measures that Planas announced last week, “none” will allow “any of the sector’s problems to be fixed.” , as stated by the state coordinator of Unión de Uniones, Luis Cortés, “which is what the countryside is demanding” and assures that the Government addresses the problems “in a superficial way.”
Under the motto “We have plenty of reasons”, the agricultural organization has organized the protest to denounce that the countryside is “exhausted” after the reductions in production caused by the drought and the increase in production costs, which put many farms in danger. red numbers.
Union of Unions denounces that relevant issues such as “bringing democracy to the countryside”, “damage of wildlife to agriculture and livestock”, “dialogue with the sector to carry out reforms that affect it” have been left out of these proposed measures. “, the “double rate electricity contract”, the “extension of crisis aid” and the drought or the review of eradication programs.
For his part, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, again expressed yesterday his “respect for the right to demonstrate” regarding tomorrow’s demonstration that will culminate at the headquarters of his Department.
“I respect the right to peaceful demonstration and absolutely reject any manifestation of violence. I am a democrat and I am not going to tell anyone not to exercise their rights. What I am saying is that we do not have a magic wand, but we do have the instruments to listen to the requests and respond to the demands of the sector,” said the head of the sector.