Farmers and Livestock Farmers Protest in Castilla y Le贸n Against the Mercosur Agreement
The Castilian and Leonese countryside mobilizes again. A demonstration with tractors has blocked access to the headquarters of the regional Cortes in Valladolid this morning. Producers in the primary sector warn that their activity is at its limit due to external policies and constant economic asphyxiation. 馃殰
The Treaty with Mercosur Generates Alarm in the Countryside
The trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries is the main trigger for the protest. Local farmers and livestock farmers perceive that opening the market to South American products, which are governed by less stringent phytosanitary and labor standards, will create impossible-to-overcome competition. They fear that this situation will collapse the prices they receive and make it unsustainable to maintain their farms.
Key Reasons for Concern:- Different Regulations: Imported products do not meet the same quality, food safety, and animal welfare standards required by the EU.
- Downward Prices: A greater supply of cheaper products could sink origin prices below production costs.
- Lack of Reciprocity: They denounce that while they must comply with strict regulations, the agreements do not require the same from external producers.
They ask administrations to defend the European model of quality and food safety.
The Cost and Price Crisis is Strangling Farms
The protest also points to an internal structural problem. Production costs have skyrocketed, while the prices paid by large chains and industry remain low. Bills such as electricity for irrigation and farms, fertilizers, or feed for livestock have risen disproportionately, eliminating any profit margin.
Factors Suffocating Profitability:- Energy and Fertilizers: Their prices have increased dramatically, making each cultivation and breeding cycle more expensive.
- Stagnant Origin Prices: What the producer receives has not risen at the same rate as their expenses, generating losses.
- Risk of Disappearance: Many family farms, key to retaining population, are considering closing due to inability to generate income.