Farmers block Spanish highways in protest of European Union bureaucracy

Highways in Spain are blocked by tractors and other farm equipment as protests spread from neighboring countries. 

Members of the Asaja Asociación Agraria de Jóvenes Agricultores (the Spanish Young Farmers’ Association) took to the highways en masse Tuesday to protest European Union bureaucracy and hampered competition against non-EU countries.

“With different shades, in the whole of the European Union, we have the same problems,” ASAJA Vice President Donaciano Dujo told Spanish news outlet TVE. 

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“The countryside is fed up,” Dujo added.

The protests have obstructed traffic on major highways all the way from Seville to Girona.

Protest leaders have voiced opposition to EU regulations intended to curb environmental impact, which farmers say prevents them from staying competitive with other agricultural markets.

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Violent confrontations between farmers and law enforcement officers have been reported in other countries, according to Reuters.

Similar protests have popped up in other European countries, including France, Belgium, Portugal, and Italy.

Italian farmers began a tractor convoy bound for Rome on Monday, complaining of similar hardships caused by EU bureaucracy.

“Of course, there is always room for improvement, and I am always willing to listen to the demands coming from workers who are essential to us,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Monday of the protests during a visit to Japan.

Italian farmers have also demanded the readoption of 2017 income tax breaks dropped from the national budget this year.