Tarragona, Spain – On January 8, 2026, farmers staged an indefinite blockade at the Port de Tarragona, halting access along the A-27 highway in a protest against the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.

Video filmed by journalist Josep Suñé shows a large fleet of tractors, mainly green and yellow, positioned across lanes at the port entrance and exit points. Cars, vans, trucks, and heavy machinery like excavators and loaders add to the complete traffic stoppage, affecting roughly 4,000 trucks that pass daily. Orange cones and barriers mark the blocked areas, while farmers gather in groups near makeshift camp setups with firewood, barbecues, and sleeping bags for a sustained presence.

The Mediterranean winter sky is bright and partly cloudy, with modern port infrastructure—cranes, shipping containers, toll booths, and industrial buildings—visible in the background. People move around, film the scene, and talk, with no major police confrontation observed in the footage.

The Tarragona blockade is part of a wider European wave of farmer protests on January 8, 2026, including demonstrations in France, Portugal, and Greece. Farmers argue the Mercosur deal would flood the EU market with cheaper South American imports, like beef and soy, undercutting local production standards for environment, hormones, and costs.

Port operations were significantly disrupted, with only limited chemical-related trucks allowed through via alternative routes such as Serrallo, causing traffic backups in the city. The farmers’ guild called for broader participation from other organizations to pressure governments ahead of the Mercosur deal vote.

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