The president of the Provincial Council of Cádiz, Almudena Martínez, has given the go-ahead for the 25th edition of the Livestock and Agriculture Fair (Fegasur), organized by the Provincial Institution at Ifeca, in Jerez. In her address, she emphasized the need to ensure generational renewal in the primary sector and stressed that, after a quarter century of operations, it is an "essential appointment for strategic segments of the province".
As the Provincial Council has reported, Fegasur 2026 will remain open to the public from 6 to 8 November and the venue will feature more than 600 head of livestock, an increase of 8.6% over the previous edition. At the C-Ifeca facilities, animals of cattle, sheep, pig, goat, equine and avian breeds are on display.
The event also has 25 stands located in the commercial area, where products and services related to agricultural and livestock machinery, food, animal health, breeders' and business associations, livestock equipment, automotive services and professional clothing are offered.
Martínez acknowledged the work carried out by the Environmental Transition Area of the Provincial Council, led by the second vice president Javier Vidal, who also took part in the inauguration, to make possible a new edition of Fegasur. She also highlighted the collaboration of the Junta de Andalucía, the Real Federación Española de Asociaciones de Ganado Selecto, the breeders' associations, the livestock health defense associations and the agricultural organizations Asaja, COAG and UPA.
The president stressed that one of the central events of the fair will be the National Auction of Livestock, scheduled for Sunday 8 at 12:00. Along with this auction, the commercial activity and the display of specimens, she highlighted the schedule designed for all audiences, strengthened this year with "Todos en Fegasur", a program aimed at spreading the richness of the agricultural and livestock production of the province of Cádiz.
Martínez del Junco also emphasized the educational dimension of Fegasur, which includes a cycle of talks on current issues in the sector delivered by leading specialists. The program also includes specific activities for young people, such as visits by school centers, workshops, gastronomic tastings and children’s tastings.
Along this line, she has stated that "it is very important to convey the value of agriculture and livestock farming to the new generations," since "they are the future of an economic activity fundamental to the economic and social development of the province. They are the generational handover."
The provincial lead has reiterated the Diputación's determined commitment to the primary sector in Cádiz and has specified that, in the current term, 6.6 million euros have been allocated in aid to livestock farming, agriculture and fishing. "An effort to strengthen an essential economic activity, modernize production systems and keep people living in rural areas," she said.
She added that the Provincial Institution is promoting programs for the conservation of native breeds and is carrying out the renovation of the Agricultural and Livestock Experimental Center (CEAG), which is dependent on the Diputación itself, where the first livestock reproduction laboratory in Andalusia will be located.
For his part, the second vice president, Javier Vidal, has appealed to the need to dignify the working conditions of those who work in the countryside and to present this field as a real career option for young people, aspects that he considers key to ensuring the generational handover and encouraging people to put down roots in rural areas.
The Diputación has highlighted the technical and educational component of Fegasur, which again includes the guided visits of the "Environmental Education and Sustainability Program," coordinated by the Area for Ecological Transition and Development to the Citizenry. In this edition, moreover, the IEDT will also publicize the cross-border cooperation projects (Spain-Portugal) that it manages, focused on digital transformation and on improving the competitiveness of SMEs, especially in the rural sphere.
At the inauguration of Fegasur 2026, other institutional officials also took part, including the Junta delegate in Cádiz, Mercedes Colombo, who highlighted the prestige achieved by a fair that is "fully established," which "for 25 years has been a showcase and a meeting point between professionals."
"Opportunity to boost our talent in this sector," Colombo said, who also highlighted Fegasur’s role as an expression of the provincial identity. "It is important to maintain our traditions and that we back the professionals in livestock farming and agriculture because they are the ones who keep the rural environment going," she concluded.