Madrid will once again be filled with tractors next Wednesday, October 28, 2026, with a new mobilization of farmers and ranchers from different parts of Spain. The agricultural organizations ASAJA, COAG, and Unión de Uniones have called for a large national tractor protest to demand that the Government implement measures to ensure the economic viability of agricultural and livestock operations. The protest will begin at 11:00 AM in the Plaza de la Independencia, next to the Puerta de Alcalá, and will end in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, located near the Atocha station.
Under the slogan "We produce your food, we deserve to live from our work", the organizers want to denounce the rising costs of fuel, fertilizers, livestock feed, and energy, as well as the difficulties in obtaining prices that allow covering production costs. The call comes just over a month before the general elections on November 29, in a context of growing discontent among primary sector organizations, which consider the measures taken so far to alleviate their economic situation to be insufficient. The mobilization will include farmers and ranchers who will travel to Madrid both in tractors and buses to demand concrete commitments from the administrations.
Schedule and route of the Madrid tractor protest on October 28
The tractor protest is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28 at 11:00 AM, according to information released by ASAJA Jaén and UGAM-COAG, which have confirmed the route of the mobilization through the center of the capital. The meeting point will be the Plaza de la Independencia, where the Puerta de Alcalá is located, from where the protesters will begin their route towards the Ministry of Agriculture.
The planned route will go through Alfonso XII Street and Infanta Isabel Avenue, until reaching the ministerial headquarters, located next to Atocha. There, the final gathering will take place, where representatives of the agricultural organizations will present their demands and call for responses from the Government. This is a mobilization that will combine the presence of agricultural vehicles with a march on foot by farmers and ranchers.
Furthermore, ASAJA Castilla y León has announced that several columns of tractors will access Madrid via different roads to join the protest. For the moment, the exact itinerary that each of these columns will follow has not been detailed, nor is there an official number of participating vehicles. The organization has made a call to professionals in the sector to travel to the capital and participate in the concentration.
Which streets may be affected by traffic cuts
The arrival of tractors in the center of Madrid could cause traffic restrictions and detours during the morning of Wednesday, especially in the area of Puerta de Alcalá, Alfonso XII street, and the Atocha area. Complications could also be recorded in the accesses used by the columns of agricultural vehicles coming from other autonomous communities.
The main areas that may be affected are Independence Square, Alfonso XII, and the promenade of Infanta Isabel, in addition to the streets near the Ministry of Agriculture. However, an official complete device with the schedules of the cuts, the detours of the EMT buses, or the specific traffic restrictions has not yet been published, so the extent of the incidents will depend on the operation established by the authorities.
For this reason, those planning to travel through the center of Madrid during the morning of October 28 should pay attention to communications from the City Council, the General Directorate of Traffic, and public transport services. The concentration could also affect access to Atocha station, especially during the hours of greatest presence of demonstrators.
Why farmers are protesting: fuel, prices, and CAP aid
The mobilization is articulated around five major demands that agricultural organizations consider fundamental to guarantee the future of Spanish agriculture. The first of these is the implementation of a shock plan against the increase in production costs, accompanied by the establishment of a professional agricultural diesel with reduced and stable taxation.
ASAJA, COAG, and Unión de Uniones denounce that the increase in fuel, fertilizers, feed, and electricity prices is reducing the profit margins of numerous farms. Therefore, they demand that fuel discounts be applied directly at the time of refueling, instead of relying exclusively on temporary aid. The organizations believe that the subsidies approved so far do not sufficiently compensate for the increase in expenses and warn that activities such as cereal production could be especially harmed if this situation continues.
The second demand is related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The conveners reject any reduction in European resources allocated to the primary sector and demand that future agricultural policy maintain sufficient funding to protect the incomes of farmers and ranchers. They also ask to preserve the two traditional pillars of the CAP and ensure that professional farms can continue to develop their activities.
Another central point is the demand for fair prices and effective compliance with the Food Chain Law. The organizations argue that many producers receive insufficient amounts for their products while facing increasingly higher expenses. Therefore, they demand to strengthen inspections and control mechanisms to prevent commercial operations that violate legislation and harm farmers and ranchers.
Farmers reject competition from Mercosur and Morocco
The fourth demand relates to agricultural and livestock imports from third countries. ASAJA, COAG, and Unión de Uniones denounce what they consider an unfair competition situation when imported products are not subject to equivalent requirements to those that European producers must meet.
In this regard, the organizations have expressed their rejection of the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur in its current conditions, as well as certain aspects of trade relations with Morocco. The conveners demand that the principle of reciprocity be applied, so that imports meet equivalent requirements in terms of health, environmental, and animal welfare standards. They also demand greater border controls to ensure compliance with those regulations.
The last of the five demands is the reduction of bureaucracy affecting agricultural and livestock farms. The protesters believe that the increase in administrative procedures, registrations, and regulatory obligations is hindering their daily activity. Therefore, they are asking to simplify the procedures and avoid duplications that, they claim, force them to dedicate more and more time to administrative tasks instead of production.
A national protest one month before the general elections on November 29
The tractor protest next Wednesday is part of a new wave of mobilizations from the agricultural sector, which has led various protests in recent months due to the rising production costs. The call in Madrid represents a joint action by ASAJA, COAG, and Unión de Uniones, three organizations that have decided to coordinate their demands in light of the economic situation described by numerous farmers and ranchers.
However, the mobilization will not include the participation of the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA), which has chosen not to join this national call. The protest will also take place during the electoral pre-campaign, when parties begin to present their proposals for the primary sector ahead of the elections on November 29.
From ASAJA Castilla y León, its president, Donaciano Dujo, has warned of the difficulties faced by farms in his community, especially those dedicated to cereal production. According to the organization's estimates, this year's poor harvest and the increase in costs have caused losses exceeding 300 million euros in Castilla y León. Dujo has also pointed out that agricultural diesel is priced between 1.60 and 1.70 euros per liter, while the price of fertilizers can reach 600 euros per ton, figures that, he claims, put the profitability of numerous farms at risk.
The organizing groups warn that the mobilizations could continue if there are no changes in agricultural policies and support measures for the sector. With the tractor protest on October 28, farmers and ranchers aim to convey their demands directly to the Ministry of Agriculture and demand solutions that allow them to maintain their farms, ensure generational renewal, and guarantee the continuity of activity in rural areas.
The protest will start at 11:00 hours at the Puerta de Alcalá and will end in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, in Atocha, in a day that will once again bring the demands of the countryside to the center of Madrid.