The official newsletter of the Basque Country has published the order of Health Advisor Nekane Murga on Wednesday: “Temporary suspension of the activity of traditional markets and fairs for the direct sale of agri-food and livestock products”. Markets may be re-held at the end of the alert state.

Once markets have been opened and until the Department of Health considers that the situation has returned to normal, farmers will have to comply with special and stringent measures. The minimum distance between sales outlets will be six metres, and between workers in the same job, two metres will have to be kept.

EHNE Gipuzkoa and ENBA, very angry

A few hours after the order was made public, both EHNE Gipuzkoa and Euskal Nekazarien Batasuna (ENBA) have shown their anger at the situation created around it. “Enough is enough,” said EHNE, ENBA has denounced that the decision is “incomprehensible” and “regrettable.”

EHNE Gipuzkoa denounces the “issue” of the Basque Government against farmers: “We baserritars live from selling our products. If the situation is already difficult, it is incomprehensible that efforts to put another obstacle in place.” EHNE has called into question the competence of the Basque Government to adopt this measure: “Fairs are municipal competence and health measures, at this time, state competence.” According to EHNE, markets are taking place in other territories, such as Catalonia, where the crisis is affecting all citizens.

Finally, EHNE has defended the importance of trade fairs: “The small food shops of the villages are spaces that guarantee the commercialization of local products. They all strengthen the local economy and citizens’ jobs.”

In the view of ENBA, the order highlights the lack of coordination being carried out by the Government. “Because on the very day that the Department of Health prohibits trade fairs, the Department of Commerce has launched a Market Defense campaign, textually claiming the role that fresh and local food supply spaces play.” It requires the Basque Government and EUDEL to work on the promotion and cooperation of the markets.