The deafening roar of 2,500 tractors on the highways: "Our poverty will be your hunger"

News/Yesterday

Agricultural organizations rate the mobilization in the Region of Murcia as a "stunning success." Farmers warn of the collapse of a sector that generates more than 22% of the region's GDP.

Last Thursday, the roar of the engines of thousands of tractors rocked four major highways in the Region of Murcia. Beginning at 9:00 a.m., farmers united to issue a dramatic cry for help. The sector feels cornered by numerous threats that put its continued survival in question.

The main targets of the protest are cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the European Union's recent trade agreement with Mercosur countries. However, as the demonstrators point out, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the problems they face on a daily basis.

Road paralysis and solidarity gestures

According to COAG, Asaja and UPA, a total of 2500 tractors and trucks took to the roads. Protests took place at key points, including on the A-30 highway (the Murcia-Cartagena section and near Blanca) and on the A-7 in La Hoya de Lorca.

Mobilization was not limited to blockades, however. In the heart of Murcia, in the Cardenal Belluga square, farmers organized an information campaign, handing out fresh fruits and vegetables to passersby: celery, cauliflower, broccoli, oranges and lemons. Long lines of residents lined up in front of the farmers, a gesture meant to make the public aware of the importance of local production. Elsewhere, such as at the Blanca Junction, protesters cooked traditional migas together to keep up the morale of the participants.

"Our poverty will be your hunger"

The banners carried by the protesters left no illusions about the mood in the sector:

*"No to Mercosur"
*"Without farming and ranching, the table is empty."
*"Bureaucracy must be simplified."
*"Our poverty will be your hunger."

Farmers are facing an "unprecedented crisis." Adding to the list of grievances, in addition to Brussels' policies, are drastically rising production costs, falling farmgate prices and a lack of generational replacement in the countryside. In addition, water remains a key issue in Murcia, with farmers opposing restrictions on Tajo-Segura water transfers, a death sentence for many farms.

A sector that cannot be ignored

Leaders of agricultural organizations (Marcos Alarcón of the UPA, José Miguel Marín of COAG and Alfonso Gálvez of Asaja) declared the demonstration a success. They stress that agriculture is not just a business, but the foundation of food security for all of Spain.

"Today's mobilization is a show of strength. We are defenders of the general interest and consumer safety. The European Union has recognized that our sector is not strategic, but we will not allow it," the COAG representative thundered.

Farmers warn that if the administration does not respond with concrete solutions to the "perfect storm" that has hit the agri-food sector (responsible for 22% of the region's GDP), the effects will be felt by all citizens at the store shelves.