Unfair Competition and Climate Costs in Spain’s Agriculture

Luis Planas, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, acknowledged this Thursday that there is a problem of unfair competition in the primary sector. He noted that farmers are right to point out that Spain operates under regulations that are not applied to certain imports. Planas spoke at a breakfast meeting just one day after a large protest by the sector in Madrid, where hundreds of tractors gathered in front of the ministry and thousands of agricultural workers joined the demonstration. He emphasized that adapting to climate change is raising costs and affecting the profitability of farming and livestock operations. He stated that environmental sustainability is achievable only if profitability is also ensured.