The story ofAgama in Mallorca It could have ended differently. The Damm group Agama was open to handing over the factory and the Agama brand, but after months of negotiations, the proposal was rejected. This offer came during talks to create a cooperative in Mallorca to manage dairy production on the island, bringing together the Balearic government, Agama workers, farmers, and some private investors. What was meant to be a lifeline for Mallorca's dairy sector failed to materialize and has led to its collapse and demise.another part of the Balearic Islands industry.

Outrage, rejection, and anger from the Agama workers because of the attitude of the Ministry of Agriculture towards the factory closure in PalmaThis was explained by Jesús Ávila, spokesperson for the workers of the Mallorcan dairy, on ARA Baleares. "They haven't wanted to meet with us for three months," Ávila stated. According to the workers, since the announcement that the cooperative project was being scrapped, they have been trying unsuccessfully to meet with Regional Minister Joan Simonet, even though the factory has already closed. The workers criticize the fact that no one has informed them of the reasons for the cooperative's failure and the factory's closure, "even though they were part of the initial negotiating table." When Damm made the closure public from the factory was more than possiblethe option arose to create a cooperative project with the workers, the Ministry of Agriculture and AgamaEverything seemed to be going well, but the Regional Ministry and Damm excluded the workers, who had conceived the project, from the negotiations, despite their requests to participate and be informed about the initiative's progress. They also claim they have been "ignored" and that "the situation hasn't changed." "Even though the factory has closed, we still haven't received any answers or been able to talk to anyone," they complain.

The Prime Minister, Marga Prohens, has accused the Damm Group of deceiving the Administration and livestock farmers with the closure of the Agama factory in PalmaA leading figure in Mallorca's dairy industry. Furthermore, during the plenary session of the Balearic Islands Parliament, it was announced that the Government will revoke the declaration of regional interest which the multinational had requested and will demand the return ofa grant of more than one million euros"We will stand with the sector and support its initiatives to guarantee the continuity of the dairy industry," the president stressed.

Under pressure from the opposition, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, defended his handling of the situation at the Llucmajor chicken farm and criticized the Armengol government for "failing to act." Simonet explained that between 2016 and 2021, the farm housed 127,000 hens. "Didn't anyone see them?" he asked. He recalled that the farm's operations began in 2016 with 40,000 hens, but added that in 2023, a sanctioning procedure was initiated due to the increased capacity of the operation. Avícola Son Perot, the company behind the Llucmajor poultry farm, requested the legalization of the facilities and authorization for a capacity of 135,696 hens after receiving a sanction imposed by the government's environmental agency. In August, the integrated environmental permit for the farm was rejected, and it was decided that its capacity had to be reduced to a third (40,000 hens). Regarding this, Simonet explained that a total of 36,000 animals have already been removed from the farm and that the remaining 52,000 are scheduled to be removed by the end of this month. "The work done by the officials and the Directorate General is adequate, it is correct, no mistakes have been made," he insisted.

Mallorca's hoteliers believe it is a mistake to ensure the viability of the agricultural sector by creating more tourist accommodations and have asked the Ministry of Agriculture, in their objections to the agricultural law, not to generate additional lodging capacity. The hoteliers' objections are not limited to criticizing the touristification of the agricultural sector; they also demand that the Government truly prioritize the primary sector and declare it an essential and strategic service, so that more public resources are allocated to it systematically and regularly. The document from the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation (FEHM) proposes "giving the agricultural sector the treatment it deserves," explained FEHM Executive Vice President María José Aguiló. The hoteliers propose working with a specific framework for the primary sector that includes official recognition and allows for the financing of productive activities and support due to their strategic importance. "They generate value, food, landscape, and there is a consensus on their importance. But what we absolutely cannot understand is the proposal to make them viable by orienting them towards tourism," lamented Aguiló. In this regard, the hoteliers believe that "all possibilities must be explored, from increasing the ecotax funds for the sector to demanding that, with a formal declaration of the sector as strategic and essential, European and state funds be secured, given their undeniable contribution to the wealth of the Islands," he explained. This refers to the draft agricultural law, whose public consultation has just ended. Another criticism from the hoteliers is that the Ministry of Agriculture can authorize new agricultural estates within rural land without taking into account that the powers in this matter belong exclusively "to the island councils, which are thus being overruled." "The councils are the ones who should decide what can and cannot be done on rural land. Furthermore, promoting new accommodations in the countryside is to distort its character and go against the spirit of the primary sector," Aguiló lamented. Hoteliers believe that if there is a significant debate about overcrowding, it makes no sense to promote it in the countryside with more tourists. "We already know what happened when we put tourists in apartments, and now we want to put them in the countryside?" the vice president asked. The regulation has received a barrage of criticism, especially because it introduces tourist and residential categories into rural areas. Even the Tourism Promotion Association, an organization that rarely comments on draft legislation, has sent a letter to President Marga Prohens warning that its members "are upset and concerned about initiatives such as the proposed agricultural law," because "it introduces aspects that could extend beyond the scope of agricultural activity and distort its nature." This organization also considers it important to limit the products that can be sold directly and the activities that can be carried out in order "not to create unfair competition with agritourism and other legally established sectors."

Farmers, professionals, and organizations such as the GOB (National Agricultural Association), Unió de Pagesos (Union of Pagesos), and the organic producers' association Apaema (Apaema) have demanded that the government fundamentally amend the draft agrarian law because it "will disfigure the countryside" and have criticized the current wording as an initiative to promote urban and tourism uses that "will end up converting farms into hotels." They also regret that the law is not being used to "promote true food sovereignty and to seriously help make agricultural activity viable on the islands," according to spokespersons for these associations told ARA Baleares. There are some points of agreement among the organizations and professionals who have presented objections, particularly regarding criticism of the urban, tourist, and speculative orientation of the countryside, which instead focuses on improving food production, which "is the basis of any agricultural regulation." The environmentalists are calling for the government to withdraw the law as drafted.

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.

Unió de Pagesos has reminded the regional minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment that "rural land must be dedicated to food production and anything other than this will be considered improper use." The agricultural union reacted after Simonet assured a interview of the ARA Baleares who does not believe "in the systematic prohibition of solar panels and chalets."

He knows firsthand the harshness of the primary sector in the Balearic Islands. Before becoming the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, Joan Simonet (Alaró, 1973) was on the other side of the table as manager of the employers' association Asaja. He sets the guidelines for a minority sector that is increasingly facing diminishing opportunities and problems.

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.