500 French winegrowers destroy the load of Spanish trucks

Around 500 French winegrowers from the departments of Aude and the Pyrénées-Orientales blocked the Le Perthus border crossing with Spain this morning to demand an end to imports.

The protesters have proceeded to filter the vehicles entering from Spain and have looted a truck with tomatoes, whose load has been emptied on the asphalt of the motorway toll in Le Boulou. In addition, during the protest they have also burned several vehicle wheels.

The Prefecture, delegation of the Government of the Pyrenees-Orientales, explained in a message sent to EFE that the winegrowers had completely closed entrance 43 of the motorway in Le Boulou and had reduced the passage at the toll to two lanes, through which they left circulate to light vehicles and "some trucks" after filtering them.

A part of the protesters had begun their action in Narbonne, where the president of the Aude Winegrowers' Union, Frédéric Rouanet, announced that they were going to "stop Spanish imports", which they accuse of causing the collapse of many farms in the south of France with prices much lower than theirs.

The complaints are directed in particular against bulk wine that arrives from Spain and which in most cases is bottled in France for marketing. Winegrowers also ask the French authorities for help to pay Social Security contributions, the transformation of loans guaranteed by the State into subsidized credits or banking support measures for cash flow problems.