In a briefing that wrapped up a wide-ranging discussion with the farming sector, major players in the food chain were urged to report any irregularities they observe in applying the Food Chain Law to the Food Information and Control Agency (AICA) or to their regional authorities. The call came at the end of a meeting that gathered primary producers, supermarkets, distributors, and industry players under the Food Chain Observatory to study how prices move from farm to table. The government stressed that agricultural organizations, often described as the weakest link in the chain, should file formal complaints because each complaint triggers an official investigation. These remarks followed a week in which the Prime Minister announced plans to increase inspections for compliance and came just before a scheduled session with the three main farm organizations to address field demands.
For the minister, the Food Chain Law, which began operating in December 2021, is functioning and has helped raise prices at the origin for producers, though it is necessary to strengthen its enforcement through more rigorous inspections. After the meeting, it was highlighted that the ministry’s data indicate that from January 2022 through December 2023, origin prices rose markedly, even after accounting for inflation driven by rising costs. The latest analysis from the National Statistics Institute shows that food consumption was the sector with the largest price increase among consumer baskets in 2023, with notable rises for processed foods and a smaller, but still sizable, gain in fresh produce. The Ministry also reminded that the year-end inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages remained elevated but well below the peak observed in early 2023.
Movements across regions
Farmers and livestock producers have been out on the streets for nine days, demanding better selling prices and more realistic environmental policies imported from the European Union that affect their daily work. While the leading farm bodies had scheduled the most protests today across multiple provinces, the demonstrations were concentrated in Andalusia, especially Seville, in Catalonia, in Toledo, and in Cuenca. Across the country, protest activity diminished in other areas. A notable case was Mercamadrid, where permission to assemble was denied by the regional government, dampening the turnout. These protests followed a pattern of tractor convoys that began the day before a key meeting with the agricultural associations to discuss the sector’s crisis.
Early on Wednesday, farmer groups invited by the major associations intermittently blocked five highway accesses around Seville. Aside from one arrest related to a protester who brandished a wooden baton from a personal vehicle, the protest day ended with most roadblocks lifted. By mid-afternoon, almost all closures had ended, with only two road segments still affected in the region.
The Spanish countryside has shown strong solidarity with the protests across Andalusia, to the extent that the first stage of a major cycling race had to be canceled because police resources were diverted to manage the demonstrations. Road closures affected several routes near major ports and highway junctions in Andalusia, Jerez, and surrounding areas, illustrating how the protests are testing both rural livelihoods and regional logistics.
Another wave of demonstrations in Catalonia saw farmers block the main access to the Tarragona port for a full day with dozens of tractors, while in the northern part of Catalonia, additional routes faced sustained blockage for more than a day in Girona, in response to competition concerns tied to products failing to meet European standards. In Castilla-La Mancha, farmers disrupted several major highways near Toledo and Cuenca, with a slow march by hundreds of tractors crossing Guadalajara toward central civic spaces. In Murcia, protests escalated to the point of pressuring regional institutions and affecting the operation of the regional government office.
Looking ahead, farm organizations have announced further demonstrations in major urban centers. A large rally is planned in Madrid, a date that coincides with multiple regional actions in Castellón, the Altiplano region in Murcia, Zaragoza’s agri-trade fair, and other locations. Unions have outlined additional protests in Castellón and Segovia, signaling a sustained campaign that aims to bring industry and policy makers to the negotiating table. These actions reflect ongoing tensions between price realization for farmers and broader European environmental rules that shape agricultural policy.