In the words of Gotzone Sestaon, the tractor protest is a cocktail, a pot full of claims, and I think the people involved in these movements are very diverse. If in Navarre there are large trtorists, with large farms, but people are also approaching that are dedicated to extensive livestock, to more sustainable models, to the ecological ... of everything. There's a tremendous mess. It is clear that there is a general anger, a concern. Agriculture is becoming increasingly difficult to lead a dignified life. But this is not now, this is something that's long since."

I recommend that you see the full conversation, as a reader, because you don't have an unnecessary phrase:

What are the fundamental problems?

Sestao has recalled that cultivation here has been guided in recent decades by the Common European Agricultural Policy, which has driven the productive and industrial model of cultivation: "We have been sold for many years that we had to follow a productivist model to live well. I mean, we had to produce a lot and a lot of cheap. That is what has spread over and over again. Some have taken that path, others have tried to escape or work on alternative roads... But what is the question? Production is now becoming more and more expensive, since this model is highly dependent on fossil fuels, as well as on external means, whether chemical fertilizers, pesticides or animal feed dependency. This has been increased, on the one hand, by the existence of a speculative market and, on the other, by the existence of droughts, by other geostrategic problems (the war in Ukraine) which have further aggravated the situation of many people. To this must be added all the bureaucratic burden of the CAP".

"The system has hit the roof," he stressed, citing the article of ARGIA by Jenofa Berhokoirigoin: "The Common European Agricultural Policy was devised, with the aim of ensuring food safety and making consumers cheap food, and today we are also seeing that it is not being implemented. And let farmers have decent living conditions, which are not being met either."

Other highlights include: "Environmental implications of this model. The soils are sterilized, the waters are polluting, the systems that have been driven need great water consumption, to which the climate emergency, the loss of biodiversity and all of them have added."

Institutional controversy and movement capitalized by agroindustry

Sestao has a clear solution: "We must use this moment to give a real analysis and debate." Specify the questions to be answered at social level: "What model of food do we want for our country? That is the first question. And the second, linked to this food model: What model of agriculture do we want? That's what we have to answer honestly." But Sestaotan is saying, "Because we're not there yet, because I see the institutions here patching. To see what candy to give farmers to stop complaining. Let's keep going forever, without moving anything or much."

While avoiding this debate, for Sestao the protest of tractors "the force that is being capitalized is agroindustry and agribusiness". He explains that "after the debate in Europe, it was seen that the model was playing up and we were at the starting point of a change of direction. There are the strategies or strategies of biodiversity from Caserío to the table, and a series of changes were proposed to bring some environmental corrections". In Sestao's words, these changes entail an overload for the farmer and the agro-industry takes advantage to "introduce its demands and pressure". It is understood that the first measure taken by Europe in the face of pressure from tractors was the modification of the rule which meant limiting the use of pesticides to 50%.

In a manifesto signed in Navarre by 140 agents, the Government of Navarre is urged to set up a strategy from the European Parliament to the Bureau. But Sestao insists that "pedagogy must be done and that cannot be left to the baserritarra". In fact, when for so many years the sector has become accustomed to working in one direction, it has stressed that to change the model it is necessary to accompany: "There is a need for accompaniment, training, eligibility... so far the Government of Navarra has not put the means to achieve these objectives". In the manifesto, 60 concrete measures have been proposed to “rapidly limit industrial farming and livestock farming and initiate a process of de-intensification”. The manifesto aims to halve cattle by 2050. For Sestao the biggest difficulty they have is: "Let's see how we get society, farmers and institutions to bet on such a change. Many of the tractors on the road will agree with some proposals, but not with de-intensification. And the correlations of strength are not favourable: one of the measures we propose is the strengthening of markets. It can be done easily in the municipalities we have in our favor, but in Estella, for example, we have great problems with this.”

"Farmers must produce to meet their needs, not for that global market"

During the Egonarria programme, Sestao denounces the process of liberalisation that has taken place in the market: free trade agreements on the one hand and the process of deregulation at market level on the other. "What we are asking both in Euskal Herria and in Europe is for food to come out of all these free trade agreements." It sets an example of the consequences of free trade agreements as a pastor: "If you bring sheep or dairy from New Zealand, you have to bring them at prices much lower than those here. This means a drastic fall in market prices, a collapse which prevents the farmer from paying a price on the basis of costs. That is what is called dumping, and we are also affecting other countries, because that is where too much is exported. This is a consequence of free trade, so we say that we must get out of the food markets and begin to develop the path of food sovereignty. Farmers must produce to meet their needs, not for that global market.”