LOGROÑO, 21 October 2026 — The main agricultural organisations in La Rioja are calling on their members to take part in the nationwide tractor demonstration in Madrid on 28 October. ARAG-ASAJA, UAGR-COAG and UPA-Rioja said the mobilisation was a response to the persistent lack of profitability at many farms and was intended to increase political pressure on the central government. At the same time, the organisations are preparing their own protest rally in Logroño for 8 November.
The organisations are calling for an immediate action plan to tackle rising production costs, reliable support from the Common Agricultural Policy, fair producer prices throughout the food chain, full enforcement of Spain’s Food Chain Law, and a reduction in bureaucracy. The slogan for the mobilisations is “Producimos tu comida, merecemos vivir de nuestro trabajo”. Tractor convoys and buses are being organised for the journey to Madrid.
Spokespeople for the regional organisations point to structural problems in particular sectors: sugar beet production in La Rioja has practically been abandoned; extensive livestock farmers are under pressure from feed and energy costs; and wine and cereal producers are suffering a cost surge that is not reflected in the prices they receive. The organisations also complain that some of the announced state aid to ease the cost of fuel and fertilisers has yet to be paid. These points were reiterated in the organisations’ press briefings and regional media reports on 21 October.
The announcement from La Rioja is part of a nationwide wave of mobilisations. Asaja, COAG and Unión de Uniones had confirmed the joint mass demonstration in Madrid for 28 October on 9 October. Regional branches have since been coordinating meeting points and travel. In La Rioja, UAGR-COAG and ARAG-ASAJA are providing information on meeting points and convoy times, as well as bus places for participants without their own machinery.
The background is a long-running dispute over costs, prices and requirements in Spain’s primary sector. While the organisations are pressing for short-term aid and stricter monitoring of trading practices, political representatives regularly point to relief measures already approved and the limits imposed by EU law on state intervention. Whether the announced protests in Madrid and Logroño lead to new commitments will depend substantially on turnout and the political willingness to respond in the coming weeks.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).