<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Tractor protest]]> 10 <![CDATA[Tractor protest and Spanish nationalism]]> The tractor protests carried out separately by Mallorcan farmers this past Thursday against the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur have produced very telling images. They were so expressive that they go far beyond the rejection of an agreement that will have very serious consequences—not only economic, but also environmental—and which represents another blow to a sector, to a countryside, already quite battered, especially in the Balearic Islands. The reality is that even in the face of this frontal attack, Mallorcan farmers have not been able to unite. And this not only weakens them, but is also profoundly significant. Because the largest tractor protest, the one led by the ever-conservative Asaja, had little to do with protest and a lot to do with a Torrente movie. A posh lunch at a popular restaurant is, at the very least, a curious way to demonstrate, to protest. It seemed more like a calculated performance: pretending to protest without causing too much of a stir against an agreement that the People's Party—the party of the regional Minister of Agriculture and a long-time leader of Asaja itself—voted in favor of in Europe. It's also revealing that the Mallorcan tractor drivers didn't demonstrate when the Catalan farmers did, during the second week of January, precisely when the Mercosur agreement was at its peak. That was an explicit act of turning their backs on the Catalan peasantry. However, it should be remembered that neither the more progressive union Unió de Pagesos nor the organic farmers of Apaema joined the gargantuan gathering; they held their own demonstration and, moreover, issued statements supporting the demands of the Catalan farmers. In any case, this lack of solidarity with Catalonia is not without reason. Here, as always, it has a clear political meaning. The largest tractor protest, the one that culminated in a picnic, was laden with Spanish flags. They display them at every tractor protest. And Vox is not only a regular presence, but they know perfectly well they can reap significant benefits. While the far right is currently acting as the self-appointed guardian of Palma's libraries, demanding a count of books in Catalan and Spanish—even though librarians have already demonstrated that there are many more in Spanish: 150,004 to 86,945—the anti-Catalan rhetoric is once again proving highly effective.

]]> <![CDATA["Without farmers there is no countryside, and without the countryside there is no Menorca."]]>

Just over a hundred farmers gathered this Thursday at midday at the Mercadal fairgrounds to reject the cuts the European Union wants to apply to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to say enough is enough to "empty promises" and excessive bureaucracy from the administrations, and above all, to demand recognition of their unique island needs. The manifesto, read by the presidents of Agrame, Luis Nadal; Fagme, Catalina Pons; and Unió de Pagesos, Margalida Llambias, calls for "justice" in the form of fair prices that provide greater profitability for farms, decisive support for local production and the Menorcan agri-food industry, and agricultural policies that guarantee generational renewal and a future for the sector. "Without farmers there is no countryside, and without countryside there is no Menorca," they chanted in unison, to the applause of the attendees and the dozen or so tractors that had traveled to the center of the island. Unlike previous protests and tractor demonstrations that years ago brought the main road to a standstill, this time the agricultural organizations and cooperatives of Menorca opted for a "responsible" demonstration, without blocking the island's activity, but making their voices heard. "Responsible" protest

"We are here to defend our right to live off the land, to produce quality food, and to continue caring for the territory, the landscape, and food sovereignty," they announced. But they also complained about the "critical situation" they face, where "the lack of profitability of farms, the constant increase in production costs, bureaucratic and regulatory pressure, and unfair competition from international trade agreements are suffocating the countryside."

]]> <![CDATA[Tractor protests in the Balearic Islands against European agricultural policy: "Enough is enough: this is unfair competition"]]>

Neither the cold nor the bad weather forecasts stop the farmers: they begin the tractorsMore than a hundred tractors paraded from Campos to Ariany and drove through the streets of Palma, while another group traveled along the roads of Menorca (in three separate demonstrations) to demand solutions to the current critical situation in the primary sector and the uncertainty surrounding the future of the island's countryside. Specifically, they are protesting against the Mercosur agreement They demand that all products entering the Archipelago have the same conditions as local production and that agriculture not be a bargaining chip in the European Union.

]]> <![CDATA[Mallorca's primary sector mobilizes again: two tractor protests on January 29]]>

Almost two years ago, farmers and ranchers in the Balearic Islands, like those in the rest of Europe, took to the streets with their tractors to demand a comprehensive European, national, and regional plan to end unfair competition, reduce bureaucracy, and support the agricultural sector. Given the lack of change, on January 29th, Balearic farmers will once again take to the streets with their tractors to denounce the critical situation facing the countryside and demand urgent action from the authorities.

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