Farmers with tractors once again blocked roads and infrastructure in Spain on Wednesday in a protest against European agricultural policy and the instability of the sector, which the government has vowed to tackle, AFP reported.

Demonstrators mobilized through WhatsApp groups gathered on dozens of roads for a second straight day, especially in Castile-la-Mancha (centre), Andalusia (south), Navarre (north) and Catalonia (north-east), the general said. Traffic Directorate.

In Catalonia, hundreds of tractors left in the morning for Barcelona, ​​where a rally was planned for Wednesday afternoon in front of the headquarters of the Catalan regional government, which agreed to host a delegation of demonstrators.

These gatherings led to large roadblocks and disruptions in France, on the border with this region of Spain.

In Malaga (Andalusia), where access to the port was blocked on Tuesday, several dozen tractors again paralyzed traffic on several roads, the city hall reported. Access to the port of Castellón in the Valencia region (east) was also difficult for several hours.

Elsewhere in the country, several logistics centers were blocked by protesters, causing occasional tensions with the police. In Granada (south of the country), five farmers were arrested after clashes, local media reported.

In a press release, the Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM) asked the authorities to “take measures to avoid” the sector becoming “hostage to demonstrations”. “We understand” the farmers, but the “big victims” of the movement “are ultimately the companies,” she insisted.

These demonstrators are supported by the main agricultural unions (Asaja, Coag and UPA), which are not behind Wednesday’s rallies, but which have planned other demonstrations in the coming days, including Thursday in Salamanca (northwest) and Friday in Bilbao (north). .

They denounce European policies that are too complicated, standards that are too restrictive, prices that are too low and unfair competition from foreign goods, as do their European counterparts, who remain mobilized in several countries, especially in Italy.

“These are issues we have raised” for a long time “without receiving adequate answers,” UPA Secretary General Marcos Alarcon told public radio RNE on Wednesday, calling for “unity” among farmers.

In parliament on Wednesday morning, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez assured that he was “on the side of the farmers” and highlighted the efforts made in recent years to support the sector, especially in the face of the drought the country is facing.

The head of government also promised to improve the 2013 food chain law.