THE Association of Young Farmers of Alicante have called for a ‘tractorade’ protest in Alicante on May 10 in protest at rising costs in the agricultural sector. 

Farmers have become increasingly concerned about increased imports from developing countries which they say is negatively impacting demand for locally produced products. They are also complaining about the increased costs of water supplies.

“The protest is necessary to defend the interests of the countryside against unfair low prices, the outsourcing of importation of the cost of goods, and the escalation of production prices,” said a statement from organisers.

Capture
Mass tractor protests in Sevilla took place in February in a row over rising costs.
Photo: Cordon Press.

The protest has the support of the Central Irrigation Board of Vinalopo and the union Riegos de Levante.

“We have to take the street again,” they said.

Vicente Andreu, president of Asaja Alicante said: “On May 10, tractors and demonstrators will take over the capital in defence of the countryside and its most valuable resource: water. For the maintenance of the Tagus-Segura and the reestablishment of the concessions to the irrigators del Vinalopo. Thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of euros are at stake.”

The union warned that ‘If things continue, the Mediterranean agriculture that is produced in the Vega Baja will die’.

Disputes over supply costs are the latest flashpoint in industrial relations all across Spain.

Last month Pedro Sanchez agreed to invest billions more euros into the agricultural sector. 

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