Farmers to protest in Barcelona over production crisis
Unió de Pagesos (UP), a Catalan farmers' union, has called for a sector-wide protest in Barcelona on Tuesday 14 October 2026, citing an "unsustainable" situation for agricultural and livestock operations. The demonstration will take place on foot and with tractors at three key locations: outside the Department of Agriculture, at Plaça de Sant Jaume in front of the Palau de la Generalitat, and at the headquarters of the Spanish government delegation in Catalonia. Raquel Serrat, national coordinator of UP, said there is strong determination among farmers to express their discontent. She described the current state of the sector as a "structural problem" threatening food sovereignty, driven by consecutive crises including war-related price hikes for diesel, energy, animal feed and fertilisers, climate change impacts, livestock diseases and damage from wild animals.
Demand for emergency financial aid
UP is demanding direct financial aid ranging from €8,000 to €17,000 per farming operation to offset soaring production costs. The union plans to present this proposal to Agriculture Minister Òscar Ordeig on Thursday, ahead of the 2026 Budget Law discussions, and will also raise it at an emergency agricultural roundtable with the Department of Agriculture and JARC, another recognised farming organisation. The aid proposal specifies €17,000 for professional farms with at least one full-time agricultural worker unit (UTA), €12,750 for those with 0.75 to less than one UTA, and €8,500 for operations with 0.5 to less than 0.75 UTA. UP also calls for reduced VAT on agricultural production, specific electricity rates for irrigation, minimally taxed agricultural diesel, adjusted IRPF tax modules for 2026, exemption from mandatory ITV inspections for farm machinery, and fairer social security contributions and benefits for self-employed farmers.
"If agriculture is not seen as essential and strategic, society is being condemned," says Raquel Serrat of Unió de Pagesos.
Serrat criticised recent speeches by Catalan President Salvador Illa for failing to mention food sovereignty, agriculture or livestock farming, calling it a serious omission. She stressed that dependence on export and import models makes food supply vulnerable, likening it to an "economic weapon". According to Social Security data, the number of people affiliated with the agricultural sector in Catalonia has dropped by 45.93% between 2000 and 2026. UP has launched a platform to rally broad support for the 14 October demonstration, inviting all farmers regardless of affiliation. Serrat said: "We are calling on all farmers, everyone."
Primary sources: treball.gencat.cat. Reported by viaempresa.cat, Nova Tàrrega, Segre, Europa Press.
