La Conselleria will express disagreement with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and make itself available to the Ministry to make a «firm opposition»
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment of the Government has expressed its rejection and concern about the decrease in the budget of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2028-2034, which it has described as «alarming,» and has warned that it would be «a very harsh blow» for the primary sector in the Balearic Islands.
This is how the councilor of the department, Joan Simonet, expressed himself after learning about the European Commission’s proposal for the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which cuts by at least 20 percent the allocation of the CAP, reducing it from 380.000 million to a minimum of 300.000 million.
Simonet warned that the reduction would be «a very harsh blow» for the primary sector of the Islands, which is already affected by «especially complex» conditions derived from insularity and the consequences of climate change.
In this sense, as his Ministry has explained, Simonet regretted that the proposal put forward by the European Commission «not only represents an economic setback, but also distorts the essence of the CAP, as it is reduced to a simple income support conditional on compliance with good environmental practices.»
In his opinion, the «most serious» thing is not only the budget cut but the «dismantling» of the Common Agricultural Policy as its own and strategic policy of the European Union.
In the Balearic Islands, CAP funds amount to around 47 million euros each year, an «essential» amount for the viability of agricultural and fishing operations. If this budget cut is confirmed, the councilor warned, it could mean a loss of up to 15 million euros annually.
He also emphasized that these funds are not only essential for the payment of basic and direct aid but also for projects to modernize irrigation systems, integrate young people into the field, or support agri-food operations, among other lines of action.
«These budgetary and structural changes to the CAP jeopardize the viability of our primary sector and the future of our farmers and fishermen,» added Simonet, who insisted that the Balearic agri-food and fishing sector is essential for food security and the maintenance of landscape and biodiversity.
Furthermore, he considered that «a cohesive European Union cannot be understood» without a CAP that is «strong, fair, and adequately resourced.» «Dismantling it is a mistake that compromises the future of the entire sector,» he stated.
Thus, he underscored that the Government will continue to defend «firmly» the interests of farmers, ranchers, and fishermen and, therefore, has called for institutional unity and, together with the sector itself, to form a united front of opposition to this proposal and work to guarantee a CAP that «meets the real needs of the sector.»
In the coming days, the regional Government will express its concern and disagreement, through a letter, to the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen. It also makes itself available to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food and the rest of the communities to work together and demand a «firm opposition» to the European Commission.