Farmers, tractors block traffic in Madrid to protest competition, bureaucracy
Spanish farmers block traffic on one of the main arteries of the Spanish capital Madrid, protesting at "unfair competition" from products imported from countries "that do not respect European standards."
Like their European counterparts, Spanish farmers are also protesting against the cumbersome bureaucracy and complex standards imposed by Brussels, and complaining about the low prices at which they have to sell their produce.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday laid out a further series of concessions to EU farmers, especially for those on smaller properties, in a bid to calm rolling protests in the sector.
The measures aim "to further ease the administrative burden" and loosen compliance with some environmental rules farmers encounter when getting money from the bloc's subsidy program, von der Leyen told Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a phone conversation, a commission statement said.
The changes affecting the EU subsidy program, known as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), were officially proposed on Friday evening.
Farmers in Poland, which has a particularly big agricultural base, have been protesting farm imports from war-torn Ukraine, which they say undercut prices for their produce.
Demonstrations by farmers have also taken place in recent weeks in other countries, including Belgium, France, Spain and Italy over a litany of burdens they say are depressing revenue.
(Source: AFP)
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