Farmers from the Girona regions have lifted the blockade that had kept the AP-7 motorway closed at Pontós for five days. The withdrawal occurred after an assembly held by the roadside, where the protesters decided to end the demonstration after learning the outcome of the meeting held with the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa.
Progressive Unblocking of the AP-7 and Other Roads
Around fifty people who were still on the road have begun to collect all the material installed during the protest and have left the area with their tractors. The closure of the AP-7 in Pontós had caused significant disruptions to mobility in the area in recent days. In a coordinated manner, the farmers blocking the Coll d'Ares road and those on the C-16 in Olvan, in Central Catalonia, have also decided to end their respective protests after holding similar assemblies
Meeting with the Generalitat and commitments
The farmers' decision came after a meeting on Monday afternoon between representatives of Revolta Pagesa and President Salvador Illa, held one day after the encounter with the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig. The farmers had requested that the president ratify the commitments previously made by the minister. After the meeting, the head of the Catalan executive appeared before the media to assure that both he and the Government fully support the commitments announced by Ordeig.
The spokespeople for Revolta Pagesa have expressed their satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and have hoped that the assemblies of the protests would decide to lift the blockades, as has finally happened
Expectations and demands of the agricultural sector
"We hope the Catalan government's promises won't go up in smoke again as has happened on previous occasions" - Joan Moret, farmer
Joan Moret, one of the farmers present at the protest, has expressed his desire for the commitments made to be fulfilled and recalled that on other occasions they have not materialized. He also pointed out that the fifteen-day grace period requested by the executive should serve to bring about real changes in the defense of the agricultural sector in the face of the EU-Mercosur agreement.
The blockades on the AP-7, Coll d'Ares, and C-16 have been called off after five days of mobilization. The clearing of these roads means the restoration of traffic flow at key points in the Catalan road network.