The Government and the Board will give up to 100,000 euros per hectare to farmers in the Doñana area who stop irrigating

ALMONTE (HUELVA), Nov. 27 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The central government and the Junta de Andalucía will give aid of up to 100,000 euros per hectare to farmers in the 14 municipalities in the area of ​​influence of the Doñana Natural Area who stop cultivating their current lands and commit to renaturalizing or reforesting the soils.

This is contemplated in the 'Agreement for Doñana' that was signed this Monday in Almonte (Huelva) by the president of the Government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, and the third vice president of the Government and Minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera.

This agreement has been the fruit of the negotiation that began between both administrations after the meeting between Moreno and Ribera on October 3 at the San Telmo Palace in Seville, and which sought to put an end to the open confrontation between the Government and the Junta in the wake of the presentation of a bill signed by PP-A and Vox in the Andalusian Parliament on the regularization of regulates the irrigated areas of five municipalities located north of the Forest Crown of Doñana, Almonte, Bonares, Lucena del Puerto, Moguer and Rociana of the County, members of the so-called County of Huelva.

The Andalusian president has asserted that solving the problem of the hundreds of families from the Northern Crown who found themselves in a legal limbo and saw their economic future threatened has been a priority from the first moment for the Andalusian Government." In this regard , has stated that the farmers of the Northern Crown will receive aid of 100,000 euros per hectare, which they will collect in five years, at a rate of 20,000 euros per year and that, in exchange, they will stop cultivating their lands and will have to renature or reforest the soils. As explained, of this aid of 100,000 euros per hectare, the majority, 70,000 euros, will be provided by the Government of Spain, while the Junta will provide 20,000 euros and the Provincial Council of Huelva, which has joined this solution, will complement with another 10,000 euros.

Ribera and Moreno have shown their satisfaction for this "great agreement" and for the ability of both administrations to dialogue and negotiate to find a solution for this important area and its neighbors, above the "noise" or "conflict." Ribera wanted to make it clear that there is an "amnesty with Doñana, not with illegal irrigation."

Regarding the content of the agreement, it is worth highlighting the temporary aid, lasting 5 to 10 years, to owners of agricultural holdings in the 14 municipalities of the area of ​​influence who choose to abandon these crops and opt for renaturalization; new areas of rainfed crops, and the conversion towards organic production.

There are three types of aid depending on the new activity chosen. In this sense, aid will be granted per hectare for the renaturalization of agricultural surfaces, consisting of carrying out the necessary operations for the reversion of the use of said surfaces to forestry use. The aid will be calculated at a flat rate and will be granted over a period of 10 years, for an amount of 7,000 euros per hectare. The beneficiaries will undertake to maintain the new forest use of the area for which they receive aid for a period of no less than 30 years.

Secondly, aid will be granted per hectare for new agricultural areas dedicated to dry crops such as vines, olive trees, or industrial crops (sugar beet, sunflower or rapeseed), almond trees or other alternative crops. The aid will be calculated at a flat rate and will be granted over a period of 5 years, for a maximum of 2,500 euros per hectare. The beneficiaries will undertake to maintain the new crop on the area for which they receive aid for a period of no less than 10 years.

Thirdly, aid is contemplated for the conversion towards organic farming production models in accordance with the interventions programmed by Andalusia in the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy. The aid, which would be paid annually, for the same time as it is received The regional aid, with a maximum of 5 years, would be an amount of 1,000 euros per hectare.