By
In the last months, the European Farmers organized themselves to a historical degree, promoted an overwhelming season of protests and gained many concessions from both national governments and the European Union.
Now, as the old continent prepares itself for the EU elections, they have promoted another round of demonstrations that, while not as large as some of the previous efforts, are nevertheless a vivid reminder that the Union has to pay attention to the people who produce the food they eat.
To being with, yesterday (3), Spanish and French farmers blocked roads along their mutual border through the Pyrenees mountains.
They protested unfair competition from outside the European Union, places where the failed, crippling ‘green’ EU environmental policies do not apply.
Reuters reported:
“With EU elections looming on June 6-9, French and Spanish farmers used dozens of tractors to block both sides of the border on the AP-8 highway in the Basque Country and the AP-7 highway in Catalonia.
‘Since we have European elections, let’s see if our politicians take the sector seriously and listen to our demands’, Spanish farmer Josep Juscafrase, 54, told Reuters.”
The European Farmers revolt resulted in extended subsidy allowances and a watering down of parts of environmental policies, such as a removal of farming emissions cuts.
“At the Catalan border with France, farmers played soccer and cooked paellas while blocking crossings, creating long queues of cars and trucks.”
