A broad coalition of farmers from Spain and France gathered along a major highway this week, blocking the AP-7 near Pontós in Gerona. They united to pressure their governments and the European Commission to craft tools that regulate markets and strengthen Europe’s priority for locally produced agricultural goods. Their aim is to reverse price declines at the farm gate and confront rising production costs. The union Unió de Pagesos, which leads in Catalonia, together with Revolta Pagesa and the agricultural federation Confédération Paysanne, published a joint manifesto calling for a revision of the European directive on unfair practices in the food chain. The document argues for eradicating every form of abuse by large industry players and dominant distributors that squeeze the first rung of the chain, the farm producers, and demands stronger safeguards for farmers who actually grow the food.
On Wednesday, mirroring the prior day, farmers kept a number of roads closed across Girona and Lleida. The protests involved road blockades and mass gatherings that also disrupted access routes toward France, signaling a cross-border worry about market conditions and cross-Channel trade corridors.
In several locations, farmers opened trucks carrying food from Morocco destined for European markets and redirected the cargo toward charitable collections at the Girona Food Bank. The head of the bank confirmed that, through this act, more than 5,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruit from non-European sources were added to the bank’s stock, illustrating a dramatic and symbolic response to the broader crisis in agricultural pricing and supply chains.
Catalan producers confirmed that the AP-7 closure at Pontós and the A-2 closure near Lleida would continue at least through Friday. They are pressing for a meeting with David Mascort, the Catalan minister for Climate Action. A spokesperson for Revolta Pagesa and Unió de Pagesos, Jordi Ginebreda, who has remained at the eastern edge of the protest region near the French border, noted that Mascort missed a Tuesday meeting, citing personal reasons, while the rest of his team attended. The absence has intensified calls for accountability and a concrete plan from the minister.
As the protests grow in intensity, Ginebreda stressed that the mobilization will not end quickly. He described steps to improve turnout management, including extended shift schedules designed to sustain the action. Yet he remains hopeful that dialogue—facilitated through unions, political party channels, and sector networks—will yield a tangible response. The goal is for Mascort to appear publicly, outline his intended actions regarding the demands, and present any proposals that might address the core issues on the table.