Spain: Farmers to continue protests nationwide through at least late February

Farmers represented by Spain's three largest agricultural interest organizations - the Asociacion Agraria de Jovenes Agricultores (Asaja), the Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Agricultores y Ganaderos (COAG), and the Union de Pequenos Agricultores y Ganaderos (UPA) - plan to continue and intensify their ongoing campaign of protests nationwide through at least late February. The purpose of the action is to pressure the government to implement solutions for a number of issues, including the impacts of drought and the war in Ukraine, rising production costs, and the effects of certain EU agricultural policies.

On Feb. 7, farmers in Catalonia will escalate their current campaign of blocking major thoroughfares across the region by staging go-slow tractor convoys that will converge on Barcelona. Protest organizers expect the demonstrators to arrive in the city via Avenida Meridiana at around 12:00. Go-slow marches will impact traffic along sections of the following motorways: AP-7 in Medinya, C-17 in Vic and Osona, C-16 and C-25 in Sant Fruito de Bages, N-145 in La Seu d'Urgell, N-260 in Sort and Esterri d'Aneu, and the N-420 and C-12 in Mora d'Elbre. Participating farmers will also man roadblocks in several of the same locations, as well as along parts of the A-2, the AP-2, and the N-240.

The agricultural interest groups in question have also announced a slate of protests in the following locations on the dates indicated below:

• Feb. 8: Avila, Salamanca, and Ciudad Real

• Feb. 9: Zamora and Benevente

• Feb. 12: Alicante and Salamanca

• Feb. 13: Rioja and Zaragoza

• Feb. 14: Jaen, Palencia, Soria, Burgos, Toledo, Cuenca, Seville, and Guadalajara

• Feb. 15: Castellon

• Feb. 16: Cantabria

• Feb. 21: Murcia and Algeciras

• Feb. 22: Valencia and Cadiz

• Feb. 23: Leon

• Feb. 27: Cordoba

Moreover, hauliers affiliated with the truckers' union Plataforma Nacional para la Defensa del Sector del Transporte de Mercancias por Carretera (Plataforma Nacional) plan to join the protest movement by launching an indefinite nationwide transport strike on Feb. 10. Unless averted, the work stoppage will almost certainly significantly exacerbate existing transport disruptions caused by the farmers' protests, and potentially result in some goods shortages. A 2022 strike by the Plataforma Nacional brought road freight transport to a virtual standstill in Spain.

Authorities will almost certainly deploy an increased police presence to locations affected by the demonstrations. While most gatherings and tractor convoys will probably remain largely peaceful, confrontations between police officers or frustrated motorists and protesting farmers cannot be ruled out.