Farmers Block Pyrenees Border in Protest Ahead of EU Elections
Source: The DairyNews
In a significant pre-election protest, Spanish and French farmers blocked key roads along the Pyrenees border on Monday, expressing their frustration over what they perceive as unfair competition from outside the European Union, Reuters reported.
Earlier this year, farmers across the EU obstructed roads for weeks, citing rising costs, taxes, bureaucratic hurdles, stringent environmental regulations, and competition fr om cheap food imports as major challenges.
With the European Parliament elections looming on June 6-9, French and Spanish farmers deployed dozens of tractors to block both sides of the border, specifically on the AP-8 highway in the Basque Country and the AP-7 highway in Catalonia.
"Since we have European elections, let's see if our politicians take the sector seriously and listen to our demands," Spanish farmer Josep Juscafrase, 54, told Reuters.
The prolonged protests by farmers in May prompted the EU to extend subsidy allowances by six months to support the agricultural sector across the 27-nation bloc. Additionally, the EU relaxed parts of its Green Deal environmental policies, eliminating a goal to reduce farming emissions from its 2040 climate roadmap.
"It's important to hold the protest because in France, agriculture is hard. It's been neglected for around 20 years or even longer. And we feed the people, you know," French farmer Sylvain Fourriques, 39, remarked.
At the Catalan border with France, farmers engaged in activities such as playing soccer and cooking paellas while blocking crossings, leading to long queues of cars and trucks.
"While thousands of truck drivers remain blocked on many roads without being able to get out or even eat, farmers calmly prepare to eat a good paella. And wh ere are the police?" asked the Spanish transport association Fenadismer on X, noting that an estimated 20,000 trucks cross the border with France each day.
With the European Parliament elections looming on June 6-9, French and Spanish farmers deployed dozens of tractors to block both sides of the border, specifically on the AP-8 highway in the Basque Country and the AP-7 highway in Catalonia.
"Since we have European elections, let's see if our politicians take the sector seriously and listen to our demands," Spanish farmer Josep Juscafrase, 54, told Reuters.
The prolonged protests by farmers in May prompted the EU to extend subsidy allowances by six months to support the agricultural sector across the 27-nation bloc. Additionally, the EU relaxed parts of its Green Deal environmental policies, eliminating a goal to reduce farming emissions from its 2040 climate roadmap.
"It's important to hold the protest because in France, agriculture is hard. It's been neglected for around 20 years or even longer. And we feed the people, you know," French farmer Sylvain Fourriques, 39, remarked.
At the Catalan border with France, farmers engaged in activities such as playing soccer and cooking paellas while blocking crossings, leading to long queues of cars and trucks.
"While thousands of truck drivers remain blocked on many roads without being able to get out or even eat, farmers calmly prepare to eat a good paella. And wh ere are the police?" asked the Spanish transport association Fenadismer on X, noting that an estimated 20,000 trucks cross the border with France each day.
