Pyrenees Farmers Block Roads to Protest EU-Mercosur Trade Deal
Livestock farmers in Catalonia's High Pyrenees staged blockades and plan slow marches against the EU-Mercosur agreement, fearing it will devastate.
Key Points
- Road blockades at N-260 in Sort and N-230 at Les Bordes to pressure against Mercosur deal.
- Slow marches scheduled for Friday; fears of CAP subsidy cuts ending small Pyrenees farms.
- Coll d'Ares blocked indefinitely by 40 farmers from Ripollès and Vallespir amid snow.
- Catalonia's Agriculture Minister offers dialogue, supports equal competition and food quality.
Farmers from the High Pyrenees region staged road blockades yesterday and have scheduled slow marches for Friday to protest the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.
In the Pallars area, livestock farmers blocked the N-260 at Sort, while those from Ribagorça halted traffic on the N-230 at Les Bordes, near the border with Aragon. The intermittent stoppages aimed to pressure authorities against signing the deal, which protesters fear will undermine local extensive livestock farming.
Young farmer Pau Barrull warned that cuts to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies could spell the end for many small-scale operations in the Pyrenees. Victòria Pascual from Revolta Pagesa criticised international treaties for "suffocating and sinking" European farming by creating unequal competition.
The actions align with broader unrest across Catalonia. Around 40 farmers from Ripollès and Vallespir in northern Catalonia blocked the Coll d'Ares road from 9am in an open-ended protest. They rang cowbells in the afternoon amid snowy conditions and vowed to continue mobilising at key road points.
Guillem Pastoret, a Revolta Pagesa spokesperson from Ripollès, told ACN the agreement threatens local agriculture and rural communities.
Catalonia's Agriculture Minister Òscar Ordeig has offered dialogue, speaking with Revolta Pagesa representatives to discuss their demands and relay them to the EU. He supports fair trade deals that ensure equal competition and protect Catalan food quality.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: