The ongoing industrial action by Spanish farmers and agricultural workers entered its second week on Monday, with hauliers now joining the walkouts by calling their own indefinite strike action. Last week the protests saw farmers take their tractors onto the streets and cut off major motorways throughout Spain.
But on Monday the situation was set to be come more disruptive after the Platform in Defence of Freight Transport (Plataforma en Defensa del Transporte de Mercancías) which brings together thousands of self-employed hauliers, small businesses and haulage companies, called for an indefinite national strike.
On Sunday, a rally of hauliers gathered near the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid with some 200 people joined by farmers wearing yellow waistcoats. Police fired tear gas and charged the protestors. The leader of the so-called 'Carrier Platform', Manuel Hernández, said that "from this moment, an indefinite national strike is officially called."
READ ALSO: How long will the farmers' roadblocks in Spain last?
Where are farmers protesting in Spain on Monday?
On Monday farmers begin another week of protests.
As of the morning of Monday 12th, there were tractor protests provisionally planned in parts of Andalusia with reports of road blockades in the Málaga and Ronda areas, as well as in Catalonia, Murcia, and Alicante province, among others.
Agricultural organisations Asaja, COAG and UPA were also due to protest in Titulcia, Madrid, from 9.00 am, before heading to Torrejón de Velasco.
Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has updated its Twitter/X account with confirmed road closures and blockages as of Monday morning:
➡️Cáceres, EX-109 en Moraleja.
— Dir. Gral. Tráfico (@DGTes) February 12, 2024
?Tráfico lento en:
➡️Teruel, N-232 en Híjar.
➡️Málaga, A-374 en Ronda provoca un solo carril con tráfico alternado.
➡️Murcia, acceso a Cartagena por la A30. pic.twitter.com/11F5eiSYXQ
- Seville (A-92 in Arahal in both directions and 6 secondary roads in Fuente del Rey, El Saucejo, Algamitas and Villanueva de San Juan)
- Badajoz (N-525 in La Roca de la Sierra and EX-328 in Montijo)
- Cáceres (EX-109 in Moraleja)
- Lleida (A-2, AP-2, C-14, N-240 and A-22)
- Úbeda, Jaén (A-32 Bailén-Albacete)
- Castilla La Mancha (A-3 in Cuenca, A-43 in Albacete, N-430 at Sotuélamos all blocked in both directions)
Heavy traffic reported in:
- Teruel (N-232 in Híjar)
- Málaga (A-374 in Ronda)
- Murcia (Cartagena access via the A30)
- Tarragona (C-12 and N-420)
- León (N-630, A-66 and A-60)
The 6F organisation running the farmers' protests was expected to update its full protest plans for the coming days some time on Monday.
For live updates, this map by the DGT will also help. The people icons are where the protests are happening, as well updating the traffic situation as it develops.
Weekend protests
The protests didn't let up over the weekend either, though the intensity seemed to die down somewhat, with road blockages in Catalonia, Aragón, and Huesca, among others. Sunday saw roadblocks on eight secondary roads in Huesca and Zaragoza, including AP-2 in Pina de Ebro, the A-123 from San Mateo de Gallego to Villarrapa, and the A-1106 in Leciñena.
In Huesca, the N-240, A-133, N-12, N-230, and N-330 in Sardas were all cut off by tractors.
Early on Sunday morning, the DGT reported an incident involving demonstrations in Seville province, specifically on the A-451 at Navarredonda. Throughout the weekend there were road closures in the province, choking off circulation on different sections of the A-P4 (Seville-Cádiz), the A-451 and the A-471R1.
Why are Spanish farmers protesting?
As the EU's biggest fruit and vegetable exporter, Spain has long enjoyed the moniker of Europe's 'vegetable garden' but in reality the farmers that produce these goods are facing significant difficulties and are concerned for the future of the agricultural sector.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why are farmers in Spain protesting?
Like farmers in France but also Germany and Belgium, Spanish farmers are taking their tractors onto the streets to demand fair prices for their products, raise issue with the green agenda and unfair competition (an EU-wide problem and something French farmers accuse Spanish farmers of), asking for common agricultural policy rules to be softened and food chain law to respected, as well as calling for tax benefits on agricultural diesel to be extended.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
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