“The government knows about our strengths and should value it.”

The first feeling is obvious. In rural areas “there will be a lack of time” to “say and listen” to everything Agriculture Minister Luis Planas has to say. emergency meeting this friday, 60 Minutes, according to the official call, is “very little… and knowing that the minister’s presentations are extensive, even less,” he laughs. miguel padilla, The only concession to the contingencies of a region that comes with many demands.

He General Secretary of COAG shall be one of the participants in the meeting arising from Joint request between this unit, ASAJA and UPA. The letter reached the ministry on Tuesday amid announcements of mobilization and within 24 hours there was already a call. “A good attitude is what we value,” he explains at the beginning. Montse CortinasDeputy General Secretary of UPA and one of the participants of the program arrived along with others area on war footing, In France, this Thursday in Brussels and, still timidly, in Spain, where marches have started taking place Of protest.

As before, good opening words don’t hide Doubt Of the sector. to the point Long standing issues will return, wrong compensation between prices production and sale to the public, dry, legislative asphyxia and in front of the bureaucracy leniency towards third countriesChange of production model…

“And that’s the problem, he We’ve been talking about this for a long timeHardly with any solutions,” explains Padilla. An idea that includes Cortinas, for whom “what is being seen in Europe” International discontent against the administrationshould do Consider governments, starting with our governments, “We need to listen to the sector and take action.”

Parallel to ASAJA, everyone condemns it Inattention to area in many areasBut essentially in one that has inspired European farmers to park their tractors in the center of the EU,”restrictive environmental lawsMade without listening to us and against us,” the UPA deputy general secretary condemned.

Without an eye to future performances, he insists on defending what he calls “the The strength of our ability to negotiate“. “What is being seen now in France is giving rise to the signing of things that we achieved here a long time ago, such as aid for floods (…) The government knows our strength And our pressures have helped us deal with some crises better, so I should appreciate that.

From handleOn the other hand, they are not so optimistic. No response from their head office, huffpost Yes, you have been successful in getting your department’s opinion Seville, one of the most relevant at the regional level. They warn that “the movement we started here before the pandemic has now entered Europe and has already Spain is coming back like a boomerang,

This regional source states that the internal spirit of the unit is “to attend meetings for the sake of education, but not for the sake of education.” gloomy“, because “what the minister has not done in four years he is not going to do in a weekend.” That is why he is linked to the protests that have already begun to be organized in Spain. “We want They want to come here. concrete action and we will try to make them as coordinated as possible“. The rest of the associations are no less and are moving forward in drafting a calendar that can be slowed down or accelerated depending on the result of this Friday.

The meeting begins at 10:30, with several specific complaints about “how difficult it is to raise issues in an hour,” Cortinas explains. For example, advance food chain law, “It’s a good measure and even in Europe you hear groups demanding something similar, but it’s also A law that is still in its infancy And we must reinforce it through government and communities,” he explains. He believes that ‘today’ it is “not reaching all areas,” giving a clear example, Lemon, “It doesn’t make sense for the manufacturer to collect it, taking into account costs and income, while the price in the supermarket does not go down.”

Miguel Padilla sheds light on this and other matters. “The lemon thing is obvious; the manufacturer Get 15-20 cents per kilo and you buy it for 1.5 euros…but there’s more.” He cites for example, “Vegetables like Broccoli Wave Cauliflowerwhich have recently fallen to disastrous prices.” An “unsustainable” situation which the producer often has to condemn, with no results in most cases.

“There must be Strong ex officio intervention by authorities to keep an eye on him production not done below cost, Because complaints from producers do exist and should be made, but they are inadequate,” the COAG chief laments. He emphasizes the need for an organization to monitor the activities in this matter and proposes AICA (Food Information and Control Agency). Guarantee a “legal umbrella” covering farmers.

,Many of those who condemned loss production they risk losing the contract With their suppliers, and they can’t afford it,” he concluded.

The situation in front of animal husbandry is not better. because if severity of drought Crops are being snatched, this is also destroying spanish cattle, This is not the only evil plaguing the region. On behalf of the UPA, he emphasizes that “the stringency of the rules and their demands affects it.” Big loss to small cattle farmer And at the same time they consolidate larger farms.

“We must take action and make this right family farming law -This also includes the share of livestock- because Food sovereignty matters to us, “We compete under unequal conditions against big farms that operate with much greater laxity,” he laments, linking this to another central element of the grievances of thousands of farm workers. Which are known by this name. ‘Mirror Clause’, according to EU agreements with third countries They will operate under the same commercial, health and legal requirements at an intra-community level. Which does not happen in practice. Simply, Miguel Padilla talks about “unfair competition”,

Angered, he promised to insist to the minister that “… Hypocrisy in the EU Demand a thousand and one standards from yourself and do not demand them from products coming from abroad.” The meeting will be held as Brussels finalizes the details of a new Mercosur agreement, which it believes will “This would mean another strong blow to European beef. “The favor of countries like Argentina or Brazil”.

A blow that rural areas want ministers to deliver in Brussels, because, Padilla concluded, “It It’s not just Spain’s jobBut This is also Spain’s work,