Mallorca's dairy cow producers have made a public call to stop consuming products and boycott the Grup Damm in response to the closure of the Agama plant and the decision to stop collecting milk on the island. The sector considers that the company has breached the commitment made with the farmers, which provided for maintaining collection until September to give them reorganization time.

The Camp Mallorquí cooperative has presented an offer to acquire Carob S.A., a company dedicated to the production of carob gum and currently in pre-insolvency proceedings. The proposal has already been submitted to both shareholders and the court overseeing the process, and it includes the continuation of agricultural activity and the maintenance of the more than twenty jobs affected. Miquel Gual, president of the cooperative, has assured that "they will keep the company as we know it." "We don't want it to end up like Agama, where a big brand like Damm buys it for speculation and not to keep the sector alive."

The Camp Mallorquina cooperative has presented an offer to acquire Carob SA, a company dedicated to the production of carob gum and currently in pre-insolvency proceedings. The proposal has already been conveyed to both shareholders and the court overseeing the process and includes the continuity of agricultural activity and the maintenance of the more than twenty affected jobs. Miquel Gual, president of the cooperative, has assured that they "will maintain the company as we know it." "We don't want it to end up like "}Agama, where a large brand like Damm buys it to speculate and not to keep the sector alive.

Neither the cold nor the bad weather forecasts stop the farmers: they begin the tractorsMore than a hundred tractors paraded from Campos to Ariany and drove through the streets of Palma, while another group traveled along the roads of Menorca (in three separate demonstrations) to demand solutions to the current critical situation in the primary sector and the uncertainty surrounding the future of the island's countryside. Specifically, they are protesting against the Mercosur agreement They demand that all products entering the Archipelago have the same conditions as local production and that agriculture not be a bargaining chip in the European Union.

Almost two years ago, farmers and ranchers in the Balearic Islands, like those in the rest of Europe, took to the streets with their tractors to demand a comprehensive European, national, and regional plan to end unfair competition, reduce bureaucracy, and support the agricultural sector. Given the lack of change, on January 29th, Balearic farmers will once again take to the streets with their tractors to denounce the critical situation facing the countryside and demand urgent action from the authorities.

Farmers and livestock breeders who produce waste must be registered in the Balearic Islands' Waste Production and Management Registry to be able to treat it. Registration grants an Environmental Identification Number (NIMA) and costs 51 euros. Without this number, the company awarded the plastic collection contract cannot collect the manure, nor can it be delivered to TIRME (the Balearic Islands' waste management company). This requirement, imposed by the national waste law passed in 2022, means "more bureaucracy for farmers, with a giant trap," laments Joan Gaià, coordinator of Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). However, he believes the initiative is good if all the collected plastic is recycled, because "if all this fuss is just to end up burning the plastic, it's just asking for trouble." In this regard, he points out that plastic is still currently used as fuel, so "companies have no incentive to recycle it." Furthermore, he refers to the difficulty some farmers are having registering. "They'll have to hire people to do it for them," he says. The cost of registration must be borne by everyone, although producers who generate less than 1,000 tons of non-hazardous waste per year will not have to pay the fee established by the state waste regulations.

The Association of Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema) reaffirmed its opposition to the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur signed this Friday and warned of the "clear unfair competition" it will generate.

Representatives of the Young Farmers' Association (Asaja) of the Balearic Islands participated this Thursday in a demonstration in Brussels to protest the "cuts" planned for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The demonstration was organized by agricultural organizations from the 27 member states of the European Union to demand "urgent" changes to the regulations and warn of the "serious consequences" of the budget reduction, according to Europa Press. As Asaja Baleares stated in a press release, the agricultural organizations warned that "without a strong, well-funded CAP adapted to the realities of the countryside, it will be very difficult to guarantee the economic viability of farms, generational renewal, and European food sovereignty." This is especially true in island territories like the Balearic Islands, where the situation could be "even more critical" due to the structural additional costs borne by the primary sector. The association lamented the "dismantling" of the CAP model built over more than 60 years and focused on the impact that the reduction in funds allocated to the sector would have.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, acknowledged this Wednesday that, as the ARA Baleares announced this weekend, with the approval of the new agrarian law Tourist places will be increased from 6 to 10 on farms with preferential or priority status—those professionally engaged in agriculture.

Around twenty farmers from different parts of Mallorca have presented objections to the draft agrarian law for the Balearic Islands, which is currently on public display, and are demanding its immediate withdrawal. They believe the text "represents the definitive renunciation of decent and functional agricultural activity" and denounce that, under the guise of a green law, "it opens the door to greater covert urbanization, speculation, and non-agricultural uses of rural land."

Biel Barceló has a farm with almost 300 pigs and 100 sows on the road from Vilafranca to Porreres. He sows the grain he feeds the animals himself and, to do so, spreads the manure they produce because, he says, "it reactivates the soil and is much better than fertilizer." Although he tries to spread and cover it as quickly as possible "to avoid problems" with the neighbors (he spends about an hour between one thing and another), he is aware of the smell they create. "No matter how good the escampis is, all shit smells," he admits while standing next to a pile of manure he is about to spread.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment wants to purchase a farm in Mallorca to conduct agricultural research and experimentation, with a maximum budget of six million euros. Farmers complain that this money is not being allocated to the agricultural sector, which, they say, "is suffering from a very large budget deficit."

The European Commission has proposed reducing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by €86 billion for the period between 2028 and 2034, which in the Balearic Islands could translate into a "loss of close to €15 million per year," according to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, Joan Simonet. Farmers in the Balearic Islands are concerned about the proposed "fairly serious" cut in European aid, according to the president of the Association of Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema), Miquel Coll.

Of the 7,976 tons of plastic Of the 1,333 plastics required for agricultural activity, 1,333 are converted into waste each year. The agricultural sector in Mallorca generates 40% of the plastic waste that would be expected, according to manufacturers, thanks to its reuse and more efficient management by farms, according to the study. Analysis of the use and management of plastics in the agricultural sector of MallorcaPrepared by the Association for Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema) with the support of the Mallorca Preservation Foundation. Due to the reduction in the useful life of plastics, farmers have stopped burning or burying the waste they generate "thanks to services such as free collection on farms and the availability of municipal green points"

Unió de Pagesos (UP) will take over the management of the Mercapalma producers' space, known as the 'situated', a fruit and vegetable market held every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday within the company's facilities. It will be held through its own entity: Unió de Pagesos de Mercapalma.

Menorca has started the summer with water reserves at their lowest level in a decade. While they were at 71% of their capacity in June 2015, this year they are barely at 42%. The island has been on pre-alert for drought for two years now, starting in May 2023, yet even today, local councils are resisting significant tariff increases. Only Mahón, which has not been able to supply drinking water to the population for a year, has implemented consumption restrictions.

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, assured this Wednesday, during the presentation of the balance of the aid from the Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) by 2024, that the primary sector in the Balearic Islands is "more aware of climate change." European Union. In fact, in the Balearic Islands there has been an increase in applications for the 2025 CAP compared to last year. The increase in aid for 2024.

Farmer Pedro Cirer's windmill returned to operation this Tuesday after being shut down for approximately two years. According to him, he has managed to extract between 30,000 and 40,000 liters of water in just one hour, allowing him to irrigate his crops. Furthermore, this extraction system saves him "up to three or four hours of electricity," he celebrates. Due to its excellent performance, Cirer believes that "it's shameful that in Mallorca we can't live off the water from the windmills."

The Balearic Islands have experienced their warmest June since 1961, with a temperature anomaly of 3.3 degrees Celsius above average. This temperature increase adds to the difficult situation facing the Balearic Islands' countryside, which has already suffered firsthand—and continues to suffer—the consequences of climate change: drought, decreased production of some varieties, and an increased risk of disease in animals, among others. farmers They are forced to accept losses and, in addition, to make investments to try to mitigate the effects of adverse weather conditions as much as possible. "I've had to install showers for the cows because they have a very hard time with the heat. They don't eat and just lie on the ground," explains the president of the Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers of the Balearic Islands (UPA), Joana Mascaró.

The Association for Organic Agricultural Production of Mallorca (Apaema) denounced the "worrying" situation the island is experiencing due to the arrival and expansion of new pests and invasive species, many of which threaten agricultural activity, biodiversity, and the balance of agroecosystems.