A convoy of about 200 tractors blocked the A9 motorway in Perpignan this morning, in the direction of traffic towards the Spanish border of La Junquera, where they are heading with the intention of blocking the passage and carrying out truck checks. , according to the organizers of the action.
The tractors, as EFE has been able to confirm at the border post, have left Perpignan on the A9 motorway in what is known as a ‘snail operation’ along the lanes in the north-south direction, in which the traffic has been completely interrupted. circulation.
The Prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department has warned in its X account that the Perpignan South toll is closed and advises leaving the motorway at exit 41, the previous one.
The Government delegation also warns of the ‘snail operation’ between Perpignan and the Le Boulou toll, next to the Spanish border, and asks that the area be avoided and travel postponed.
Dozens of blockades on highways and roads
The protests of French farmers continue this Thursday, with dozens of blockades on highways and roads in which law enforcement forces are instructed not to intervene, unless there is violence.
Among the roads closed is the A7 motorway in the Rhône Valley at several points south of Lyon and, in particular, there are eight of the main access roads to Paris.
The Rural Coordination, a minority union, had organized a convoy of tractors that left the city of Agen on Monday to block the Paris food market in Rungis, but the leadership has said it is resigning after 91 of its members were detained on Wednesday upon entering the facilities.
Portuguese farmers cut some highways near Spain
Since 6 a.m. this Thursday (local time), Portuguese farmers have blocked some highways in the country close to the border with Spain, such as the A-25 or the A-6, to protest the cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy. (PAC) of the European Union.
The area with the greatest influx of tractors is the A-25, in the section that goes to the Spanish-Spanish border of Vilar Formoso and Fuentes de Oñoro, where around 400 tractors occupy the last 12 kilometers of the highway from 6:15 a.m. to the Spanish area of Salamanca in both directions of traffic.
400 tractors occupy the highway
It is the border point with the greatest traffic of heavy vehicles, so all trucks passing through the area are being diverted along secondary national roads.
A similar situation exists in Elvas, near the Spanish province of Badajoz, where Portuguese farmers have cut off the A-6.
There are also road blockades in the area of Bragança (north of the country) and in Beja (south), according to the farmers, who have not announced how long their protests will last this Thursday.
“We want there to be respect for the farmer and for our activity. “This is a peaceful demonstration for the Government to take measures in favor of the farmer,” Paulo Tomé, from Idanha-a-Nova and one of the farmers attending the A-25 cut, explained to EFE.
Nuno Janeiro, a farmer from the Portuguese town of Almofala, stated from his tractor, at the foot of the A-25, that the objective of this action is to “reclaim” their rights in the face of the loss of 35% of the aid they receive from the PAC.
Policies “are not in line with the needs of farmers”
António Norberto, from the municipality of Escalhao, assured EFE that “the policies are not in line with the needs of farmers ,” since they cannot compete with large stores.
“We can’t continue like this, they are suffocating us, diesel is sky high and, if agriculture stops, no one will eat,” said another rancher, Joao, from Idanha-a-Nova.
For Gonçalo, who arrived in Vilar Formoso this morning from Coimbra, one of the biggest annoyances is that they have cut 35% of their aid a few days before payment.
Initially, access to the A-25 highway was limited by agents of the Portuguese National Republican Guard (GNR), although after six in the morning they removed the blockades and the farmers accessed the highway.
Portuguese Government Measures
Faced with protests by agricultural professionals throughout the country, the Government of Portugal announced yesterday Wednesday that it will make available an allocation of 500 million euros to mitigate the drought and counteract the cuts in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union.
In recent days there have been protests by farmers from different countries of the European Union against the new CAP: From France, through Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland, Romania and Greece, the mobilizations have multiplied In Spain, several agricultural organizations have announced a calendar of protests throughout the country to demand changes in European Union policies.
BY:TTU
