Around 15 tractors parked today in front of Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture in the heart of Madridpending a meeting with the competent minister, Luis Planas, which is expected to take place within the day, without specifying when exactly.

The tractors arrived late in the morning around the perimeter of the ministry, a building located in front of the Atocha train station, where protesters hung banners reading slogans such as “Farmers at war” or “Planas, the destruction of the countryside, you proposed it, you won it” “, broadcasts an AFP photojournalist.

The minister, who yesterday received representatives of the agri-food sector, is expected to meet today with the heads of the three largest trade unions of farmers and breeders (Asaja, COAG and UPA).

In the rain, around 250 members of the industry, accompanied by the unions, brought traffic to a standstill on this main thoroughfare of the Spanish capital. Most of the participants in the mobilization arrived by bus to the site.

Yesterday, Spanish farmers demonstrated, as they have been doing for more than 7 days, to denounce the difficulties of the sector, blocking roads in almost the entire country, from Seville (south) to Valladolid (northwest) to Catalonia (northeast).

Like their European counterparts, Spanish farmers are protesting what they say is unfair competition from countries outside the European Union, which are not subject to the same regulations, and against bureaucracy and rules they believe are too strict.

In addition, they complain about the very low market prices of their production under the Common Agricultural Policy and the lack of state aid in the sector.

The three largest farmers’ trade unions (Asaja, COAG and UPA) have announced a demonstration on 21 February in Madrid in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, to be followed by another demonstration on 26 February in the Spanish capital, on the day of the Summit of Ministers of Agriculture The European Union.