In Navarre, the Region of Pamplona, Estella, Tafalla, Tudela and Lumbier have focused the calls of farmers, according to Berria. Tractors have been on the roads in the morning and during the first few hours have had a significant influence on traffic, especially in the County of Pamplona and the Ribera. In the County of Pamplona about 150 tractors have caused problems from early morning until 9:00 hours, since then less and have left around 11:00 hours. In La Ribera, 250 heavy vehicles have joined the mobilization and have focused Tudela.

Farmers have organised the call of Navarra through the open assemblies and the Whatsaap groups, with critical words with the unions.

Araba vs distribution platforms

The main mobilization in Álava has been called by UAGA-Araba. Almost 500 tractors have been involved. They have left various towns of Álava towards 6:00 in the morning and have been mentioned in the industrial estate Jundiz of Vitoria-Gasteiz. The distribution platforms of Mercadona, Lidl and Eroski have moved at a slow pace.

Berria has announced that in Álava some farmers have also mobilised in Whatsapp and outside the trade unions, especially in Rioja Alavesa, with problems on the road between Vitoria and Logroño.

On Wednesday UAGA announces a mobilisation for the whole day in Álava. Tractors will travel to the Basque Government and in the afternoon they will meet again around the distribution platforms. In Navarre there is no official call, but there are media that have announced that the mobilizations will continue.

Both in Álava and in Navarre, farmers have made demonstrations without asking for permission. They denounce the fines of the Civil Guard in Navarra and in Álava UAGA reports that the Ertzaintza has been taking the registration number of several tractors.

Biscay and Iparralde

In Bizkaia, the EHNE-Bizkaia and ENBA-Bizkaia unions have called for tractor mobilisations by Friday. In the Basque Country, protests in any case began in the Northern Basque Country, in two weeks, cutting roads or blocking ports. On Monday morning, at the invitation of the OECD, 60 farmers occupied the territorial and maritime direction of the Atlantic Pyrenees in Baiona.

Claims

There is currently no unified picture of demands at the level of the Basque Country, but the anger and concern among peasants and peasants is a great many demands that are being addressed to both the European Union and local governments. For example, EHNE-Bizkaia and ENBA-Bizkaia add the main demands in three axes, as reporter Onintza Irureta noted in the news:

Firstly, they call for the immediate suspension of negotiations on free trade agreements. For example, they call for the suspension of the treaty between the European Union and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and the non-ratification of the agreement with New Zealand. In general, they call for the cessation of all free trade negotiations.

Secondly, they call for food policies to be based on market regulation, so that baserritars and farmers have decent production prices. They call for a ban on selling below production costs.

Thirdly, the simplification of the European Agricultural Policy is considered essential, as it bears an “excessive bureaucracy” that generates “unacceptable” costs.