Madrid, September 5, AZERTAC

Hundreds of Spanish dairy farmers gathered outside the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in Madrid to demand fairer milk prices, Friday, according to Ruptly TV.

The demonstration, organised by the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers in Castilla y Leon (ASAJA CYL), is the last stage of a series of actions that began on August 24.

The protest resulted in Minister of Agriculture Isabel García Tejerina agreeing to meet some of the farmers' representatives to negotiate better conditions for the sector.

Agricultural workers in Spain have had to contend with cutbacks and restrictions caused by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as recent changes in the market caused by European Union sanctions against Russia.

Nacho Arias, the President of the Farmers Union of Valladolid, criticised the sanctions, emphasising that Russia "used to consume an important amount of milk from France and Germany," with the Spanish market now being flooded due to the tit-for-tat sanctions which have restricted imports and exports between Russia and Europe.

The protest follows a trend of action by farmers across Europe, with similar events held in the UK, France, Belgium and Germany.