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Farmers have been protesting for weeks across Europe, most
recently including Poland, Greece and the Czech Republic. They
all call for less bureaucracy linked to the European Union's
Common Agriculture Policy and a loosening of the bloc's
environmental rules.
As they waited for five columns of tractors to reach the
gathering point at the central Independence Square, protesters
in yellow vests waved Spanish, regional and union and rang cow
bells there while blaring music from loudspeakers.
Traffic around the Puerta de Alcala monument ground to a halt,
with several buses unable to continue their routes as farmers
crowded the streets.
Once the tractors arrived, there were scuffles with police as
the farmers attempted to march along Alcala street, a different
route than initially planned. Officers in riot gear held the
line, blocking the protesters' advance, even as a number of
tractors approached them.
Other participants moved toward the ministry along a parallel
street, following the official itinerary.
Some protesters jeered at a television crew for La Sexta
channel, with one man repeatedly hitting the camera.
One farmer walked with a large white-and-chestnut cow, while
another led a cart drawn by two oxen carrying stacks of fake
500-euro notes.
Lucia Risueno, a 52-year-old vineyard owner from the Castille-La
Mancha region, said that authorities had failed to help the
sector and called for fairer prices.
"I have the same expenses but I'm making half as much, so we
can't go on like this," she told Reuters, adding protest would
go on until the government implemented strong measures to aid
farmers.
Adolfo Albaladejo, 54, said he was fighting to ensure
agriculture does not disappear from his country.
"The Spanish countryside wants protectionism. We want to protect
our products and be competitive," he said.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony, Guillermo Martinez, Antoine
Demaison, Nacho Doce, Violeta Santos and Marco Trujillo; Writing
by David Latona; Editing by Alex Richardson and Tomasz Janowski)
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