The protest, which paralyzed the town in Terra Alta, carried the slogan 'without agriculture, there is no country'. Demonstrators called for improvements due to low grape prices, which do not cover production costs estimated between €0.53 and €0.56/kg by the Departament d’Agricultura and INCAVI. Many contracts were signed around €0.30/kg, with some offers as low as €0.12-€0.20/kg.
Farmers gathered in front of the Local Office of Agriculture and met with the director of the territorial services for Terres de l’Ebre, Toni Espanya, to whom they delivered a manifesto. The union denounces that some wineries have only purchased part of the harvest or not bought grapes at all, exacerbating the situation due to high stock levels.
Unió de Pagesos deems it unsustainable for grape growers to bear the imbalances between supply and demand, and for purchase prices to be systematically lower than production costs. The union points out that aid measures like 'verema en verd' (green harvest) and crisis distillation are insufficient to address the sector's structural problems.
A comprehensive approach is demanded, including promotion, consumption, commercialization, and valorization of wine, not just price reductions for producers. Unió de Pagesos proposes that the DO Regulatory Councils require wineries to adopt a code of good practices, linking institutional aid to grape payments above production costs.
The union also calls for a subsidized Social Uprooting Plan for Vineyards to align supply with real market demand and revalue remaining grapes, while also facilitating dignified retirement for older or low-profitability growers.
Finally, Unió de Pagesos argues that a successful harvest is measured by the euros reaching the grower's pocket, warning that without profitable farmers, there will be no vineyards and no future for the Catalan wine sector.
