Catalan farmers march on Barcelona by tractor as Illa seeks EU aid against falling prices

Tractors converge on Barcelona

Tractors left eight points across Catalonia in the early hours of Wednesday, 14 October, heading for Barcelona in a slow march. Organisers say the protest targets a structural crisis in the sector and what they call a lack of solutions. Unió de Pagesos called the mobilisation, backed by Asaja, the Federació de Cooperativas Agràries de Catalunya (FCAC) and the Revolta Pagesa movement from Girona and Tarragona. Departures were from Alt Empordà, Montsià, Priorat, Conca de Barberà, Alt Penedès, Segrià, Alt Urgell and Anoia, and further tractors from other comarcas were due to join along the way.

Route and expected disruption

All columns were scheduled to reach the Delegació del Govern at Mallorca, 278, at 12:00, where the protest act was to start. Farmers were then to move towards the Departament d'Agricultura at Gran Via, 612, partly by tractor and partly on foot along Passeig de Gràcia. The convoy was due to continue along Ronda Sant Pere, with vehicles left on Via Laietana before farmers walked to the Palau de la Generalitat on Plaça de Sant Jaume. Mobility was expected to be difficult on major roads such as the AP-7 and in central Barcelona. El Periódico reported that the protesters, coming from places such as Amposta, Oliana and Santa Llogaia d'Àlguema, were returning to the city eight months after parking tractors outside the Conselleria d'Agricultura on Gran Via.

Brussels and the Generalitat

Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat, met Eric Sargiacomo, vice-president of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, in Brussels during a trip on Tuesday, 13 October and Wednesday, 14 October. He asked that the new Common Agricultural Policy for 2028 to 2034 suffer no cuts and that the EU reinforce extraordinary aid to farmers facing falling prices. Illa also rejected the idea of the CAP being diluted into a single fund and argued that regions should play an important role in its design and management. He warned that the policy needs sufficient funding and reserves for possible sector crises. Jaume Duch, Javi López and Cristina Maestre took part in the meeting.

The government's response

Òscar Ordeig, the councillor for agriculture, livestock and fisheries, told TV3 that the government wants to work on a definitive structural measure to subsidise diesel. He acknowledged the need for quick action.

We need urgent measures.

Ordeig added that the sectors that have lost the most must be identified before aid is designed. Unió de Pagesos plans to hand the government and the Generalitat a set of demands summed up in eight points, including fair prices, direct aid, measures against rising production costs, and protection of farmland from large projects.

Costs, competition and decline

Unió de Pagesos says costs have risen unstoppably this year, blaming wars, unfair competition from abroad, climate-driven changes in production, livestock diseases and continuing damage from wild fauna. El Periódico links the squeeze to the war in Iran and sharp rises in diesel and fertiliser prices, and cites trade deals such as Mercosur as a source of outside competition. According to Social Security data reported by El Periódico, the number of agricultural sector affiliates fell by 45.93% between 2000 and 2026. The protesters also want softer environmental requirements and more compensation for wildlife damage.

Food self-sufficiency

According to figures from the Departament d'Agricultura and the Col·legi d'Economistes cited by El Periódico, Catalan farm output could potentially supply 49% of the population, though that is an estimate, and only 40% of what is consumed comes from within Catalonia.

The population is growing and food sovereignty remains stalled.

Raquel Serrat, national coordinator of Unió de Pagesos, called for planning for self-sufficiency and fair-price production. The Catalan Food Strategy 2021-2026 aimed for a more diversified system, but its goals have not been met. Pig farming relies on imported feed raw materials in 80% of cases. In 2024, about 692 tonnes of chickpeas, lentils and dried beans were produced, less than 1% of the more than 100,000 tonnes needed under Health Department recommendations.