Latest news with #COAG
Agriland
6 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Spanish farmers protest over grain imports and fertiliser tariffs
Hundreds of Spanish farmers have been protesting in Madrid today (Wednesday, June 4) with the message that 'the grains sector has had enough'. Convened by farmer organisations, ASAJA, COAG, and UPA, the protestors gathered outside the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food to denounce the 'critical situation' facing grain farming in Spain and demand immediate government action. The rally followed months of a profitability crisis exacerbated by high production costs, plummeting prices, and unfair competition from massive imports, according to the three organisations. During the event, the heads of ASAJA, COAG, and UPA highlighted the three main demands the sector is making to the ministry: Direct aid to farmers for the high cost of fertilisers , which in many cases has doubled their spending in recent seasons; , which in many cases has doubled their spending in recent seasons; Immediate elimination of tariffs on fertiliser imports , which artificially raise costs for Spanish agriculture while exempting other sectors; , which artificially raise costs for Spanish agriculture while exempting other sectors; Real control of grain imports, giving priority to domestic production over the massive entry of grain from third countries without the same controls or standards. President of ASAJA, Pedro Barato said (translated): 'Today, what is at stake is not only the income of farmers, but the very survival of thousands of cereal farms. 'We cannot allow the sector to continue being forced to operate at a loss, with prices plummeting below €200/t and costs exceeding €800/ha. 'What we are calling for are concrete, immediate, and fully implementable measures: direct aid on fertiliser bills; an end to absurd tariffs; and the [defence] of Spanish production once and for all against unfair competition.' Crowds gather in Madrid for the farmer protest. Image source: UPA X For his part, head of the grain sector of COAG's Executive Committee, Javier Fatas emphasised that (translated) 'today, grain prices in our fields are not decided in Valladolid or Zaragoza; they are decided in offices thousands of kilometers away, where a click from a broker is worth more than an entire campaign of work'. 'This financial speculation on commodities like wheat or barley is distorting the global market, and the farmer is the weakest link in the chain. And the result? Domestic wheat at bargain prices. 'Today, in the fields, prices are below €220/t, when it costs more than €250 to produce,' he added. Secretary of Agriculture of the UPA (United Agricultural Party), Ignacio Huertas, has described the situation of the grain sector as 'critical'. Secretary of Agriculture of the UPA (United Agricultural Party), Ignacio Huertas. Image source: UPA X 'We have ruinous prices and skyrocketing production costs, neither of which is the responsibility of farmers,' he said (translated). 'We suffer from speculation by wholesalers and intermediaries and the consequences of massive wheat imports from Ukraine. 'Production costs have risen 30% in recent years, and may rise even further due to the imposition of tariffs on Russian fertilisers.' The three organisations have warned that if solutions are not adopted soon, the protests will continue and spread to all producing territories, as well as to Brussels, the seat of the European institutions. 'Without grain producers, there is no Spanish grain. And without domestic grain, the shopping basket will depend on third countries and speculative markets, which will not only increase prices for consumers but also jeopardise the quality and food safety standards currently guaranteed by domestic production,' the organisers stated.
The Star
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Spanish pig farmers eye boost in exports to China
BARCELONA, Spain, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Pig farmers in Spain are hoping to expand pork exports to China as U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese imports, prompting China to raise its own duties on U.S. goods, an industry specialist said on Tuesday. China is one of the world's largest pork consumers, with the United States having been a major supplier in recent years, Jaume Bernis, a representative of the Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers Organizations (COAG), told Xinhua in an interview. COAG is one of Spain's oldest farmers' associations. Pig farmers in Spain, who boast years of experience supplying China with pork products, are eager to fill the gap left by declining U.S. sales to China amid ongoing trade tensions, he said. "This is an opportunity that could open the door for us to export more to China, because in Spain we already have the necessary experience and a longstanding relationship with Chinese partners." Exports of Spanish pork products to China reached a record high of 3.11 billion euros (3.54 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, with 75 percent of all Spanish pork exports outside the European Union that year going to China, according to data from Spain's Ministry of Agriculture. However, in the following years, Spain's pork exports to China plunged due to rising production costs and increased competition from the United States and Brazil. Last year, pork exports to China were worth 1.06 billion euros, a trend COAG hopes to reverse, Bernis said. "From past experience, the Chinese know our products well and recognize the seriousness and responsibility of our work - that's why they trust us," he said, noting that several Chinese delegations visited Spanish slaughterhouses when exports soared about five years ago. Bernis highlighted the recent agreement signed during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's trip to China, allowing the export of pig stomachs from Spain to China, as a positive development for the sector. "This agreement is a beginning. Beyond boosting specific exports, it could indirectly pave the way for broader increases in pork exports to China." The agreement is expected to have a great impact in Spain's northern regions of Catalonia and Aragon, which account for 40 percent and 20 percent of the country's pork production, respectively.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Spain Scraps Wolves' Protected Status in Rural North
Spain's parliament voted to remove wolves' protected status on Thursday, four years after their inclusion, opening the way for the predators to be hunted again in the country's rural north. Farmers hailed the measure, while conservationists deplored it as "tragic" both for wolves and the country's biodiversity. Parliament's action reverses a measure introduced by the Socialist government in 2021 that extended protection for the wolf north of the Douro river. Controlled wolf hunting had been allowed until then in northern Spain, Reuters reported. Efforts to protect the wolf in Europe are faltering after the European Commission last week proposed to downgrade the animal's protective status because of their growing number and the threat they pose to livestock. A change of law in Europe could lead to the authorization of wolf hunting also south of the Douro, which until now is strictly prohibited. Thursday's move by Spanish lawmakers was approved in an amendment to a law about food waste proposed by the conservative People's Party (PP). Controlled wolf hunting can restart north of the Douro when the law is published in a few days' time. The Association for the Protection and Study of the Iberian Wolf on Thursday accused right-wing parties that voted for the amendment of "legal subterfuge" by burying it within changes to a law that had nothing to do with the environment. "It is a tragic day not only for the wolf, but also for the rest of Spain's biodiversity," the association said in an emailed statement. The agricultural association COAG celebrated the legislative change after years of organizing protests against the measure on behalf of farmers, who said their livelihoods were at risk. COAG has said that wolves were responsible for the killing of 15,000 farm animals in Spain each year. Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said before the vote took place that biodiversity policies should be based on science, and said that the government would study what tools it had to protect the wolf.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spain scraps wolves' protected status in rural north
MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament voted to remove wolves' protected status on Thursday, four years after their inclusion, opening the way for the predators to be hunted again in the country's rural north. Farmers hailed the measure, while conservationists deplored it as "tragic" both for wolves and the country's biodiversity. Parliament's action reverses a measure introduced by the Socialist government in 2021 that extended protection for the wolf north of the Douro river. Controlled wolf hunting had been allowed until then in northern Spain. Efforts to protect the wolf in Europe are faltering after the European Commission last week proposed to downgrade the animal's protective status because of their growing number and the threat they pose to livestock. A change of law in Europe could lead to the authorization of wolf hunting also south of the Douro, which until now is strictly prohibited. Thursday's move by Spanish lawmakers was approved in an amendment to a law about food waste proposed by the conservative People's Party (PP). Controlled wolf hunting can restart north of the Douro when the law is published in a few days' time. The Association for the Protection and Study of the Iberian Wolf on Thursday accused right-wing parties that voted for the amendment of "legal subterfuge" by burying it within changes to a law that had nothing to do with the environment. "It is a tragic day not only for the wolf, but also for the rest of Spain's biodiversity," the association said in an emailed statement. The agricultural association COAG celebrated the legislative change after years of organizing protests against the measure on behalf of farmers, who said their livelihoods were at risk. COAG has said that wolves were responsible for the killing of 15,000 farm animals in Spain each year. Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said before the vote took place that biodiversity policies should be based on science, and said that the government would study what tools it had to protect the wolf.
