The fifth week of protests in the countryside has led the Government to publicly engage with the sector, guaranteeing their interests with absolute priority in the negotiations that begin tomorrow in Brussels for the reissue of the Community Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds.

The Executive's contacts with the sector extended yesterday to the Ministry of Labor, where Minister Yolanda Díaz and Vice President Pablo Iglesias tried to recompose the lost tuning last week with the agrarian organizations, which yesterday paralyzed Extremadura Fuentes present at the meeting indicated that Iglesias encouraged farmers to continue the protests that broke out with the entry into force of the rise in the Minimum Interprofessional Salary (SMI) in a context of rising sectoral costs and low prices. "Keep squeezing. You are right, " the vice president encouraged them.

Iglesias also highlighted the work of the Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs in defense of a CAP that protects the rights of Spanish farmers and a community policy that defends the interests of all member countries and especially Spain.

Hours earlier, the government spokeswoman and finance minister, María Jesús Montero, insisted on the same message after the Council of Ministers. He assured that the President of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, will transfer tomorrow at the Extraordinary Summit of Community Heads of State and Government in Brussels, that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a "top priority" for Spain, while he promised that the Executive will give solutions to farmers and ranchers.

Montero said that the Government will defend that the CAP is a “mainstay of the Spanish economy” and that it is “crucial” for its stability and sustainability, since around 30% of the average income of farmers and ranchers comes from these funds .

In this regard, the spokeswoman stressed that the Government will defend the future CAP to maintain the same budget as in the previous period to meet its social and environmental objectives.

Specifically, the draft, prepared by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, proposes a multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the 2021-2027 period of 1,074% of the Gross National Income (GNI) of the block , compared to 1,114% requested by the European Commission or 1,16% representing the period that ends this year for the Twenty-seven, reports Europa Press.

This budget includes a cut of 14% for the CAP and of 12% in cohesion funds, although it would allow the Member States more flexibility in their management, on the grounds that it is necessary to provide more resources now other priority policies in the EU agenda as the fight against climate change and the digital transition.

Montero also said that the Government is listening to the demands of farmers and ranchers for low prices and said that the head of Agriculture, Luis Planas, is holding meetings with them in order to propose shared solutions and support mechanisms.

In this regard, farmers have the commitment of the Ministry of Agriculture to offer in the coming weeks a draft with a battery of measures that will attempt to placate the mobilization when addressing claims . These would include imposing regulations on the distribution chain to make the origin of the products sold "more transparent". In this way, if a product has been produced entirely in the European Union, the label will differentiate it from another that has been produced mostly outside. Examples of the sector include cases such as honey, which mixes a minimum of European raw material with a greater part of China but carries the same labeling as one produced entirely in Spain.

The Government goes further in its commitments and ensures that it will set the path for farmers and ranchers to receive a "fair" remuneration and that their work is recognized. "We need them and we will support them," he said.

Thus, the Minister of Finance reiterated that the Government will modify "as soon as possible" the Law of the food chain of 2013 with the aim of having "more transparency", that there is more balance between the parties and that a distribution is achieved " fairer »of the value of the products along the different links.

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  • Spain
  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Yolanda Diaz
  • European Union
  • Pablo Iglesias
  • Maria Jesus Montero
  • Luis Planas
  • China
  • Estremadura
  • European Comission

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