Dozens of Mallorca farmers turned central Palma into a slow-moving demonstration on Wednesday 28 January , driving tractors and agricultural vehicles through the city streets to voice frustration with European and national agricultural policy decisions impacting the island’s rural economy. Organised by local farming unions and producer associations, the tractor protest aimed to draw attention to concerns over changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a new European trade deal that critics say could disadvantage local producers. Scroll down for video
Protest highlights concerns over Mercosur deal and CAP changes
Farmers and livestock producers, accompanied by a convoy of tractors and vans, gathered in Palma on Thursday morning under the banner of defending local agriculture and fair treatment for producers who are the backbone of Mallorca’s rural communities. The protest was jointly called by Unió de Pagesos and the Association of Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema), with a separate mobilisation taking place in Ariany organised by UPA-AIA Baleares, Cooperatives Agroalimentaries de Balears and ASAJA.
The protest in Palma began outside the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment and progressed slowly through key streets to Mercapalma, the island’s main local produce market. Organisers chose this route symbolically to highlight their support for locally-grown food and to push back against what they describe as market pressures from imported products under the EU-Mercosur agreement.
At the core of the grievances is opposition to the EU’s proposed Mercosur trade agreement, which farmers argue could allow agricultural imports produced under lower environmental and labour standards, creating an uneven playing field for European producers. There are also longstanding complaints about proposed cuts and bureaucratic complexity within the CAP, which pays subsidies and support to farmers across the EU.
What farmers want: fairness, support, and simplified policy
During the demonstration, farmers read out a manifesto outlining their demands for deeper reforms in agricultural policy at both national and EU levels. Key calls included preserving sufficient funding for agricultural support programs, simplifying access to subsidies, compensating for the higher costs of production linked to island insularity, and enforcing reciprocal standards in trade agreements so that imported goods meet the same health, safety and labour criteria as products grown within the EU.
Supporters of the march pointed out the vital role the agricultural sector plays in managing much of Mallorca’s landscape and contributing to local food security. They stressed that without fair policies and stronger institutional backing, small and medium farm operations could struggle to survive in the face of competitive pressures and rising operational costs.
For expats living in Mallorca – many of whom value the island’s gastronomic culture and local food markets – these protests underline ongoing tensions between EU-wide agricultural reform debates and grassroots efforts to protect traditional farming livelihoods.