Catalan farmers continue with the mobilizations started on day 8, expressing their rejection of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. They denounce that imported products often fail to comply with the strict sanitary guarantees required of local producers, jeopardizing the sector's viability.
“"We will remain strong and continue with the road closures, at least until Monday, which is when the European Union agreement with Mercosur is due to be signed."
The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food of the Generalitat, Òscar Ordeig, requested “responsibility” from the protest organizers on Friday. Ordeig demanded that mobility be guaranteed for the supply of essential services, such as feed for farm animals.
According to the Catalan Traffic Service, the blockades affect key points such as the A-2 between Bell-lloc d’Urgell and Mollerussa, access to the Port of Tarragona (A-27), and the AP-7 between Borrassà and Vilademuls (Girona). New closures have also been added on the N-II in Bàscara and the C-16 in Casserres (Barcelona).
The protests also extended to Galicia, where farmers in Ourense blocked the A-52 in Xinzo de Limia. Simultaneously, intense snowfall in the Catalan Pyrenees has forced the closure of three additional roads, including the C-28 due to avalanche risk between Baqueira and Casa Sastrada (Lleida), and requires chains on about twenty other routes.
