Thursday, March 28

The Popular Party has supported initiatives against macro-farms in almost 40 municipalities | Spain


The leader of the Popular Party, Pablo Casado (left), together with the president of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, during the meeting of the party's National Executive Committee, on December 29.
The leader of the Popular Party, Pablo Casado (left), together with the president of Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, during the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee, on December 29.Tarek / PP (PP / EFE)

The Popular Party (PP) has mobilized against the macro-farms in at least 37 municipalities. In 16 of them through the approval of municipal regulations. In addition, they have supported motions opposing this livestock model in 21 more consistories, of which 14 are also led by PP mayors, according to data collected from the platforms and neighborhood associations against the macro-farms. Most are in Castilla y León, whose president, the popular Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, has attacked the Minister of Consumption, Alberto Garzón, for stating that these farms “pollute” and produce meat of “worse quality” than that resulting from the Extense livestock farming. The popular also signed an institutional statement a little over a year ago in the Provincial Council of Palencia, in which they govern, where they stated that they “did not support” the implementation of 14 large livestock farms.

Milagros Marcos, spokesperson for Agriculture of the Popular Party in the Congress of Deputies, announced on January 6 that they would present motions “throughout Spain” —autonomous communities, county councils and city councils— to demand “the dismissal of Garzón” and the “defense of the affected professionals. However, the party itself has approved municipal regulations against these macro-exploitations in at least 16 town halls. The president of the formation, Pablo Casado, has defended the position of these municipalities arguing that “within the party” there has been “a guideline” for the municipalities to approve the construction of new macro-farms.

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The measures approved by the different municipalities regulate aspects that directly affect the construction of new facilities. For example, through the regulation of the dumping of waste of livestock origin, the suspension of licenses for its construction or the modification of the Municipal Ordinance Plan to prevent contamination of the soil and aquifers. In statements to EL PAÍS, sources from these municipalities argue that their measures do not respond to “political issues.” “In our case, we consider that there were enough heads of cattle in the municipality and they should be distributed throughout the rest of the province, because we all fit,” says Carlos Arteche, popular mayor of Carboneras de Guadazón (Cuenca), one of the towns that approved a ordinance to limit the dumping of residues of livestock origin with the votes in favor of the PP and the PSOE due to the “presence of nitrates” in drinking water.

13 Castilian-Leonese city councils of the PP signed a joint declaration on March 7, 2020 together with other municipal governments of different political stripes, with the aim of expressing their “opposition to the network of macro-farms that they want to install” in different areas of the autonomy. They also asked the Autonomous Government of Mañueco for a “decree of a moratorium” on the granting of permits to the meat producer that intended to build new farms.

The Provincial Council of Palencia —governed by the popular with a large majority— signed an institutional declaration on October 20, 2020, with the support of all groups: PP, Socialist Party, Citizens and the Mixed Group —as demanded by this type of declarations. In it they affirm that the Diputación “does not support the approach of installing 14 intensive pig farms”. Likewise, they confirm their “unconditional support for the position (against the macro-farms) expressed by the affected municipalities”, which add up to at least a dozen. Finally, they “urge” the Junta de Castilla y León to “evaluate the environmental impact for all projects of industrial pig farms” that were intended to be built in the province. And he asks the regional government of Mañueco to “take into consideration the allegations” presented by the Provincial Council.

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Previously, the Palencia City Council itself —where Ciudadanos governs in coalition with the PP— also signed an institutional declaration together with the rest of the political forces to request that the Provincial Council demonstrate against the construction of these 14 meat farms. The letter goes further than the one approved by the Provincial Council and urges the Junta de Castilla y León to “not allow the installation of the macro-farms”. Sources from the City Council have assured this newspaper that “they are not against” this livestock model, although their position continues to be “the same” as that signed in the declaration. They defend that it was signed so that “the law would be complied with” because “there were doubts” that the farm projects would respect environmental regulations.

The PP of Palencia announced through Twitter that it was going to present motions in all its town halls and councils to “demand the dismissal of Garzón” and the “rectification of [Pedro] Sánchez”, President of the Government.

The popular have also supported initiatives against this type of livestock in consistories with mayors of the PSOE. In the city of Albacete and in its Provincial Council, PSOE, PP, Ciudadanos and United We Can signed a unanimous declaration to confirm their “support for the municipalities to avoid the installation of non-sustainable livestock farming models”. In the text they also point out the “possible effects on public health” of nearby populations and the “environmental effects” derived from these exploitations. The PP has also supported municipal regulations that have limited the proliferation of this type of farm in Cieza (Murcia), Pozuelo and Alpera (Albacete) or Albendea and Arguisuelas (Cuenca).

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On Friday, during the visit to an extensive livestock farm, Pablo Casado assured that “he does not think” that intensive production “contaminates”, and has insisted that it complies with “strict regulations”. Mañueco has also visited different farms in recent days in “defense” of the region’s farmers in the face of the regional elections on February 14 in Castilla y León.


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