An estimated 2,000 Spanish agricultural workers – or 400 if police figures are to be believed – braved heavy rain yesterday (7 March) in Granada to protest against the Europe’s new trade deal with Morocco, as the two sides held a summit in the city.
The demonstration, organised by agricultural groups Coag, Asaja and UPA, drew growers from the Andalusian provinces of Almería, Huelva, Granada and Jaén, as well as Murcia, to protest against an accord that they argue will have a profoundly negative affect on the Spanish fruit and vegetable sector.
At the event, Coag secretary general Miguel López said the EU-Morocco agreement of association would lead to the “dismantling of the fabric of Andalusia’s fresh produce sector”, equivalent to 10 per cent of the region’s internal gross production.
Asaja’s Francisco Vargas told Spanish news agency Efe that the deal placed in jeopardy 400,000 jobs in Andalusia, which depended on the fruit and vegetable industry, claiming that this increased to 1m posts when considering Spain as a whole.
