The PP registers a non-law proposal to protect the agri-food sector from drought and increased costs

MADRID, 19 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Popular Party has registered in the Congress of Deputies a non-law proposal to protect consumers and the agri-food sector from the consequences of the confluence of the drought and the increase in production costs in agriculture and livestock, according to reported this Friday in a statement.

The Popular Parliamentary Group maintains in the explanatory memorandum of the non-law proposal that Spanish farms have suffered very important losses for a year that put their viability at risk, and adds that this situation has been aggravated in recent months by the increase in production costs, the imbalances between supply and demand, and the consequences of the Ukraine crisis.

The popular consider that the Government is neglecting this sector, which is being forced to increase the slaughter of animals and the abandonment of farms, according to the latest official statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, cited in the statement of this Friday. They also point out that at this time the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, which represents more than 10% of the GDP of the Spanish economy, is not guaranteed.

The PP has asked the Government to promote before the European Commission, "urgently and with the participation of the autonomous communities and the sector", the modification of the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) of Spain to guarantee the viability of the farms and food safety, the review of the European Green Deal and the promotion of European initiatives that are not harmful to the sector and producers.

Likewise, they urge the Executive to ensure the implementation of the necessary infrastructures and investments to prevent drought situations in the process of the new hydrological planning 2022-2027.

In the same way, the popular have underlined the need that in the contracts for access to the electricity transport and distribution networks for irrigation there is the possibility of having two different powers over a year, depending on the supply needs for irrigation.

The PP calls for the implementation of the bonuses established in Law 16/2021 (food chain) of up to 35% and 15% of the diesel, plastic and fertilizer bill, and include feed; and it also asks to reduce for the tax period of 2022 the net return rates applicable in the method of objective estimation of the Personal Income Tax (IRPF) for agricultural and livestock activities affected by serious market imbalances.

This initiative is signed by the deputy spokesman of the Popular Parliamentary Group (GPP), Jaime de Olano; the GPP Agriculture Spokesperson, Milagros Marcos; and GPP deputies Javier Merino, Joaquin Garcia Diez, Bethlehem Hole, Sebastian Ledesma, Juan Manuel Constenla, Juan Jose Matari and Juan Diego Requena.