These Men in Yellow Are Angry Farmers

Hundreds of farmers drove their tractors into central Madrid on Wednesday as part of ongoing protests against EU and local farming policies and to demand measures to alleviate production cost hikes. The protest, the biggest to take place in the Spanish capital after more than two weeks of daily protests across the country, included a rally outside the Agriculture Ministry headquarters and "severely disrupted" traffic, per AFP. Many of the tractors flew Spanish flags, and some farmers carried banners reading "There is no life without farming" and "Farmers in extinction." What you need to know:

• The farmers' gripes: Farmers in Spain and beyond complain that the 27-nation EU's environmental policies, such as the Green Deal, which calls for limits on the use of chemicals and on greenhouse gas emissions, limit their business and make their products more expensive than non-EU imports. Besides EU policies, Spanish farmers maintain that a law aimed at guaranteeing that wholesale major supermarket buyers pay fair prices for their goods isn't being enforced while consumer prices soar.
• A standout quote: "It is impossible to live from the rural industry, which is what we want, to live from our work. That is all we ask for," 46-year-old livestock farmer Silvia Ruiz told the AP.
• Czech farmers join in: The AP reports Czech farmers were driving their tractors and other vehicles to several border crossings on Thursday to meet their colleagues from neighboring Germany, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovakia and join forces in their protests against EU agriculture policies. Reuters reports the Czech Agrarian Chamber said 3,000 tractors were participating. (Read more on how the EU regulations are impacting the rice used in Spanish paella.)