Planas appeals to the responsibility of the Autonomous Communities to respond to farmers' concerns

MADRID, 19 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, appealed this Monday to the responsibility of the autonomous communities so that, within the scope of their own powers, they are involved in the adoption of measures that respond to the concerns of farmers. and livestock farmers, in coordination with the Government and in accordance with the decisions on flexibility of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) adopted by the European Union (EU).

Planas has chaired by videoconference the meeting of the Consultative Council on Common Agricultural Policy for Community Affairs preparatory to the Council of Ministers of the EU that will be held next Monday, the 26th. At this meeting he has asked the autonomous communities for "collaboration and support" to the application of the 18 measures committed by the Government in the last meeting with agricultural organizations and for them to also arbitrate complementary initiatives.

The key point on the agenda of the ministerial meeting on February 26 is the "need for rapid and structural responses to the current crisis situation in the agricultural sector." Spain has already sent the proposals of the Spanish Government to the current Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski, which has gone on to detail them to the advisors in the sector.

"In this, as in everything that is the administration of governments, we should all walk together, regardless of political color, if we really want to respond to the problems," the minister assured.

Planas recalled that article 148 of the Spanish Constitution establishes that the autonomous communities "may assume powers in agriculture and livestock, in accordance with the general organization of the economy."

In this sense, he pointed out that the autonomous communities "have a lot to say and do" on issues that are currently on the table due to farmers' demands, some of them very simple. Thus, he has referred, for example, to improving the planning and coordination of inspections so that the same agricultural holding does not receive more than one in a year.

He has also mentioned the convenience of coordinating the calls for aid for the first installation of young farmers and ranchers that are carried out through the autonomous communities so that they are carried out every year within a predetermined period and thus provide greater certainty.

Along these lines, he mentioned aid to encourage the incorporation of young people into agricultural and livestock activities, an issue that is one of the main current challenges of the sector, and about which the minister recalled his commitment to calling the autonomous communities to a Specific extraordinary Sectoral Conference to address it and coordinate actions.

Planas has also asked the autonomous communities for support in providing advice and information to farmers and ranchers about the digital farm notebook. The voluntary nature of its application is one of the measures committed by the minister in his last meeting with agricultural professional organizations, on the 15th.

It has also suggested that, given the current circumstances of increased accident rates as a result of climate change, the autonomous communities reinforce their support for the contracting of insurance policies and reinforce that already provided by the Government, which this year will allocate 284.5 million euros to this line of aid.

With respect to the application of the chain law, the minister has reminded the autonomous communities of the need for their involvement in the inspection and control work attributed to them by law, within the framework of the management committee created with the Agency of Food Information and Control (AICA). This work, he has reiterated, will be essential to improve the application of the law and even more so given the upcoming conversion of this body into a state agency.