The Ministry sends a document of allegations to the Ministry a few days after it presents in Brussels the new strategic plan 2023-2027
The Ministry of Water, Livestock Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment once again expressed its rejection on Monday of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy (PEAPAC) made public on November 30 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), a document that will regulate the distribution of funds during the period 2023-2027. The Community considers that this has not reflected the uniqueness of the farmers and ranchers of the Region of Murcia, for whom it anticipates the loss of 10% of the basic payment that they currently charge.
The counselor Antonio Then, who met this Monday with representatives of the agricultural organizations and exporters to address the allegations before the MAPA, attributed this situation to the “bad negotiation” carried out with Brussels. The head of Agriculture detailed the content of a document agreed with the sector that includes the main demands of farmers and ranchers in the Community, and that will be sent to the Ministry this Monday, a few days after the Government of Spain presents the final text in the European Commission. “We know that we are in discount time,” he said at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry.
Luengo cited as areas of special concern the exploitations of nuts, livestock without associated land and the cut flower sector.
Regarding nuts, he stressed that “55% of the cultivated area of our Region is in danger. We cannot forget that we have 85% rainfed and 15% irrigated, and there are many regions that depend directly on nuts “, which will be excluded from the aid according to the parameters defined by the Ministry.
Desertification
The counselor also regretted the absence of an eco-scheme adapted to desertification that directly addresses the measures that rainfed farmers and ranchers have to take to receive aid to combat the arid regional climate, as well as the definition of active farmer present in the document, which establishes it as the one that receives at least 25 percent of its income from agriculture and that benefits the large landowners. “We agree on the importance of these grants going to those who fill their feet of the ground,” he said.
Luengo also stressed that “Murcia has always been one of those that has received the least money”, for which he encouraged the Ministry to introduce the proposed changes, although he also hopes that, in the event that the Strategic Plan is not modified, they can be applied a posteriori corrective measures for a “fairer and more balanced” redistribution.
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