MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish farmers blocked traffic on some of the country's main highways on Tuesday, joining colleagues in other European countries protesting against high costs, bureaucracy and competition from non-EU nations. In Girona, tractors could be seen gathering ahead of the day of protests, carrying placards with one reading "without farmers there is no food". Like colleagues in France, Belgium, Italy and Portugal, Spanish farmers are complaining about the increasing weight of European bureaucracy, low produce prices and rising costs. They say demanding rules imposed on EU farmers to protect the environment makes them less competitive than peers in other regions, such as Latin America or non-EU Europe. Over the past few days, blockades in France and Belgium have sometimes escalated into violent clashes with the police.

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Persons: Dujo, Inti Landauro, Sharon Singleton Organizations: EU, European Union, TVE Locations: MADRID, Spain, Seville, Granada, Girona, France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, America, EU Europe