If the tension has clearly subsided in France, the mobilization of farmers continues in Europe. Overview of actions and demands in Spain, Poland, Hungary and Italy.
Poland, the movement of anger among farmers is gaining momentum. The latter are still standing up against the uncontrolled influx of cereals and other agricultural products from Ukraine. During this new wave of protests, farmers blocked roads and border checkpoints with Ukraine. Protesters complain about the lack of profits from agriculture and livestock and the lack of government measures to protect their livelihoods. The strike is expected to last 30 days. According to local reports, more than 260 blockades have taken place across the country.
In Hungary, a group of farmers also protested on Friday against the duty-free importation of Ukrainian products near the Ukrainian border. The protest was announced by the president of the largest farmers’ union, who is also an MP for the ruling Fidesz party. Participants’ tractors formed a long queue on the road leading to the border post. Many participants blamed the EU for the difficulties faced by Hungarian farmers.
The immediate trigger for the protest was a proposal from the European Commission to extend the duty-free import of Ukrainian and Moldovan agricultural products for another year.
In Spain, Spanish farmers also staged similar actions on their fourth consecutive day of protest. In addition to EU policies, Spanish farmers argue that a law aimed at ensuring that bulk buyers at big supermarkets pay fair prices for their produce is not being enforced as consumer prices soar.
Friday’s protests were centered around the northern cities of Oviedo, Pamplona and Zaragoza, with tractors blocking several city streets and suburban roads. In many places, farmers continued their protests overnight.
A group unaffiliated with Spain’s three main agricultural organizations has called on farmers to move to Madrid at midnight to demonstrate this Saturday near the headquarters of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party. Protests are expected to continue over the coming weeks, with a large demonstration organized in the capital on February 21. Several Spanish media outlets have linked many of the protests to conservative and far-right groups. Police said 20 people were arrested during this week’s protests.
In Italy, after weeks of mobilization across the peninsula, farmers decided on Friday to make an impact by parading tractors along the Colosseum, one of the most famous monuments in the capital. More than 300 tractors have been parked for several days at the gates of Rome, where they were awaiting authorization to access the center. The movement, however, seems to be dividing. According to the daily Il Corriere della sera, Giorgia Meloni’s government plans to spend 200 million euros to eliminate or lower specific taxes on farmers, particularly those under 40. Concerning their criticism of the Green Deal which is supposed to help the EU achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, European farmers obtained from Brussels on Tuesday the abandonment of a text aimed at reducing the use of pesticides.
