Three days of tractor-trailers and the supermarkets sound the alarm. Farmers’ protests were initially concentrated on motorway closures. Then they led to demonstrations in the center of the cities, as in Barcelona on Wednesday or yesterday in Salamanca and Ciudad Real. But some demonstrators have already concentrated in logistics hubs of large distribution chains in different parts of Spain. What the food distribution companies fear is that the mobilizations in the countryside will cause problems similar to those of March 2022, when a transport stoppage seriously damaged their activity and affected the distribution of basic products.
There is a similarity between the demonstrations of almost two years ago and those that began on Tuesday: they are being called through social networks and behind some of them are ultra-right movements. What’s more, the same truckers who encouraged the one-off collapse two years ago will join the demonstrations over the weekend. For their part, the professional organizations, Asaja, COAG and UPA, started their parallel protests yesterday, but these are authorized concentrations that do not intend to affect the distribution chain.
The distribution assures that, at the moment, they have not detected any supply problems, but there have been alterations in the logistics. The companies talk about “delays” that are “punctual and localized”. The main focus of tension was Antequera, in Málaga, where an important Mercadona center is located that serves as the epicenter for the distribution of Andalusian food. Protesters blocked access and the police had to act to evict the farmers. One person was arrested and a truck burned. In Valencia there were also logistical problems, the Association of Supermarkets of the Valencian Community (Asucova) assured yesterday, due to the blockade of farmers in the distribution centers of the shops.
The food chain also warned yesterday that its logistics are “extraordinarily dependent on transport”, said Ignacio García Magarzo, director general of Asedas (Spanish Association of Distributors, Autoservices and Supermarkets), so it is important for companies guarantee freedom of movement. The main concern of the entire sector is, therefore, that the protests “get out of control and the cuts and delays of goods these two days become even more complicated”, they added from Anged (National Association of Distribution Companies), the other large employer.
Yesterday, the supermarkets once again demanded from the Spanish Government that the Civil Guard and the National Police guarantee the “free circulation of goods so as not to repeat events like those of 2022”. “The legitimate claims of a sector should not paralyze the activity of the rest of the economy”, they defended.
The central government is worried about the situation. The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, stated that the Executive will guarantee free movement on the roads. “It is what we will do in application of the law”, he assured. Puente differentiated between communicated and authorized demonstrations, which are those of agricultural organizations, and those that “have not even been previously announced”, which are those called through social networks. “If what is achieved with these protests is to block the country, obviously the law enforcement agencies must act”, he said.
The Central Government is monitoring the distribution situation in case there is a problem with the distribution of food. Puente pointed out that, although at the moment there is no shortage of products and there is no shortage due to the protests, “we have to be alert because things can change”.
The minister revealed that in the meeting with the associations of transporters, who have distanced themselves from the protests, they told him on Wednesday that “they are having serious difficulties” to be able to work. Puente recalled that, with the protests of French farmers at the border, Spanish transport already suffered losses of 12 million euros a day.
Workers’ Commissions were added yesterday to the request of the distribution groups to guarantee free movement on the roads for the next few days. The union asked the Ministry of the Interior to guarantee the safety and physical integrity of the steering wheel professionals. They fear that there will be violent incidents like those in 2022, when some vehicles were attacked. He also asked that transport companies do not force truck drivers to drive on roads where there may be incidents.
