The Association of Ecological Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema) has pointed out that the agricultural law project approved by the Consell de Govern incorporates part of its demands, although it insists on the need for "more guarantees" for ecological production and the defense of rustic land.
According to the entity's statement, the text requires "clearer" guarantees so that the improvement of the profitability of the farms is linked to real protection of agricultural land and "decided" support for ecological agriculture.
Among the points where the project coincides with its proposals, the maximum of six agro-stay places per farm is maintained, thus discarding the ten that were contemplated in an initial draft.
However, the text retains the option to increase the volume of certain buildings intended for complementary activities by up to 20 percent, as long as neither the occupancy nor the buildability of the same is increased.
In Apaema's opinion, the law should set a cap on these complementary activities, so that they do not exceed 30 percent of the income or total rent of the agricultural farm.
The association positively values that reference is made to collective workshops for small farms and to the mandate to promote measures for hygienic-sanitary flexibility for small-scale productions, always under public health guarantees.
Likewise, the entity highlights the provisions related to the use, exchange, and marketing of seeds from local varieties, as well as the promotion of crop rotations, the protection of pollinators, and the improvement of soil fertility.
In terms of ecological production, the project does not recover the recognition of its specific strategic nature, as Apaema demanded, and, according to its complaint, conditions support on the basis that it does not entail disadvantages for other productive models.
Therefore, the association demands that the future law explicitly recognize this contribution through concrete measures, that the product purchased as ecological in public procurement is also of local origin, and that the exclusivity of the Balearic Council of Ecological Agricultural Production in control tasks is ensured.
Similarly, Apaema regrets that the prohibition of planting transgenics that it had requested has not been incorporated, nor the elimination of the reference to certain new genomic techniques.
Regarding construction on rustic land, the project establishes that certain new homes must be linked to an agricultural activity for 15 years. The association asked to "go further," although it recognizes that this requirement represents "an improvement" over the current regulations.
The entity also criticizes that the Govern has left out another of its proposals, related to reserving 50 percent of the annual revenue from the sustainable tourism tax to compensate for the environmental services provided by the primary sector.
In any case, Apaema believes that the parliamentary processing opens a window to reinforce these aspects and demands that the final text incorporate the "pending guarantees" in order to ensure a "viable peasantry, ecological production with effective support, and lasting protection of agricultural land."