More than a hundred tractors from Ipar Euskal Herria have organized a march in Arbona from the lands occupied by ELB and Lurzaindia. On 13 July, the vehicles have diverted to Biarritz and taken the vicinity of the airport, collapsing the routes to Arbona, Bidar and Angelu.

Under the motto “Cuidemos la tierra que grows us”, farmers have come together to denounce the speculation of the land. Although this has been an important step, the organizers have stressed that the occupation will continue until the goal is achieved. On the twentieth day after the occupation, a vegetable garden in Arbona has begun to be built. For the coming days, other activities will be organised: the next call will be on July 15, at 19:00.

Causes of occupation

They want to sell 15 hectares of land to a Swiss toilet in Arbona and a house that has EUR 3 million inside. The Safer company, which manages the French Livestock Department, has recognised that the price is excessive: Its real value has been set at EUR 100,000, while the Iberia value has been reduced by another EUR 100,000. The OECD and Lurzaindia have agreed that this is a new case of land speculation, and since June several farmers have occupied the area to denounce it and call for measures to protect soils.

On the morning of 13 July, Maryse Cachenaut, a member and farmer of the ELB, explained that it will be difficult for both parties to reach an agreement: “We have tried to negotiate with them, but there too it is very complicated, the saleswoman lives in Switzerland, but we cannot come into direct contact with her. The President of the Single Commonwealth of Iparralde proposed to negotiate, but has not managed to organize a meeting between sellers and buyers.” According to several farmers in the Naiz media, the deadline for sale ends on July 20, and buyers "are trying to gain time", delaying a possible meeting.

In addition, the ELB has also criticised the decision not to allocate the land of Arbona to agricultural cultivation: “The North is far from food self-sufficiency, and the protection of farmland must be at the top of its agenda.” They denounce that with this type of sales land is "stolen" from farmers and, in order to avoid it, they ask that the house and the lands of Arbona be sold separately. In this way, Safer could manage the sale of land and ensure that it will be used for agriculture.

Several cases of speculation

In Ipar Euskal Herria there are many cases of land speculation. Kazeta.eus The medium reminds several of them: In Urruña, a plot of eighteen hectares was sold for 440,000 euros; in Bidarrai, 600,000 euros was claimed for a plot of sixteen hectares; and in San Juan de Luz, a plot of eighteen hectares was sold for 6,260,000 euros.