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INPRIMATU
Farmers protest at the slaughterhouse in Maule
  • The slaughterhouse in Maule, which is essential to the local labourers, has been threatened and dozens of peasants have mobilized in solidarity. More generally, the farmers’ protest continues to spread day by day, with Brussels being the main date this Thursday at the EU meeting.
Jenofa Berhokoirigoin @Jenofa_B 2024ko otsailaren 01
Urtarrilaren 31n burutu protesta, Baionako karriketan. Argazkia: Euskal Irratiak

The reasons for going out into the streets and blocking the roads are not scarce for farmers. On Wednesday there was also a protest at the slaughterhouse in Maule, which was threatened on this occasion. In fact, the Directorate of the Department of Citizen Protection (DDPP) has just threatened to lower the slaughterhouse category because it does not respect certain hygiene and safety standards. This would have an impact on daily activity and on the payment prices of the service, bringing even the final intestine of the slaughterhouse closer. In order to denounce the "administrative pressure", on 24 January the company's Management Board submitted a referral.

In response to the call for solidarity outside the trade unions, some 150 farmers met on Wednesday in front of the slaughterhouse in Maule. From there they head towards Baiona causing relocations on the highway. They wanted to make their complaint heard in strategic locations: At the Colegio Vasco de Suprefetura...

Although Jean Rene Etxegarai has met with the president of the Basque School of Urban Helmets, they have not made a positive assessment of the dialogue. The peasant of Domintxain Pierre Diarze told the newspaper Berria: "We don't get too much out of this meeting, you've heard our problems, but what you're saying is that you can't do the fittest things, that the state is responsible. For us these are the excrement, we don't have more time to rub, because many farms have a lot of difficulty." Etxegarai, for its part, has confirmed that the College of Cities is in favour of maintaining the slaughterhouse and will convene all parties to a meeting – farmers, College of Cities, DDPP and representatives of the French State.

The OECD joins the protest call: "It is an important local instrument for cultivation, especially in Zuberoa. Today, the difficulties are increasing in the different areas of growth and, faced with these difficulties, large farms value their production thanks to the slaughterhouse of Maule. It's what forgets them to keep a decent job."

In the French State: the complaint is not being tapped

The anger of the peasants set off last week is not tapping and on 1 February there are some 150 blockades in the French state. Its destination is the Rungis space, located in Paris, strategic center of international trade. But the police cut them off and have dozens of farmers detained.

Since the movement began with the unions FNSEA and JA, promoters of the agroindustry, Confederation Paysanne, who is committed to agroecology, joins the protest. Each one goes with their defenses, which target two antagonistic models.

Cry to Brussels

The clamour is being brought to the European Union on 1 February: the rows of tractors hinder the entry and exit from Brussels from the morning. Farmers from different countries have called for mobilisation, coinciding with today’s meeting of EU leaders. There have been hundreds of tractors before the European Parliament and the tension is growing:

Among its main objectives are the revocation of the free market agreement between the EU and Mercosur, as well as immediate measures to respond to economic difficulties.