Organic farmers are calling for the agrarian law to be repealed because it "prioritizes non-agricultural uses and speculation in the countryside."

PalmAround 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."

The fact is that, as ARA Baleares reported, one of the most controversial measures is the possibility of hosting up to 10 tourists per professional farm, something that the spokespersons for the farmers' collective who have already presented objections consider "disproportionate."

In the document submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture (sponsor of the legal initiative), the signatories point out that the islands have lost more than a third of their usable agricultural land in 35 years—from 337,000 to 205,000 hectares—and 5%. They attribute the decline to urban development pressure, land abandonment, and now also the proliferation of photovoltaic power plants. "The new law does not correct these trends, but rather reinforces them," they point out.

The farmers criticize the draft bill for "consolidating the process of replacing agriculture" by promoting urban, tourism, and energy activities within rural land. They also warn that it would allow for the expansion of buildings under the guise of "agricultural use," eliminate the need for a declaration of general interest for projects such as agrotourism or solar plants, and legalize buildings dating back to before 1991. All of this, they say, "will facilitate the conversion of the countryside into a large suburb."

Among the data they provide, they point out that between 2015 and 2023, nearly 3,000 chalets were built in Foravila, occupying more than 580 hectares of agricultural and forest land. "The law not only ignores this reality, but legitimizes it," they warn. In this sense, they consider that the proposal "reduces the capacity for environmental and urban planning control" and "opens legal loopholes for unsustainable uses that have nothing to do with agricultural activity."

Despite positively assessing some aspects of the text—such as the recognition of the strategic role of the agricultural sector, the creation of territorial contracts, and the promotion of circularity, among others—they consider the measures "unfunded and unconvincing" and that they do not compensate for the liberalizing effect of the law. They also denounce the "disregard" for organic farming, "the only one showing a positive trend in recent decades."

Simonet asks for understanding.

The person responsible for this legislative initiative and for the Ministry of Agriculture, its head, Joan Simonet, explained in a lengthy conversation with ARA Baleares (which will be part of the extensive report on the new law to be published in the weekly this weekend) that "we, the agricultural sector, cannot always be judged for wanting to survive economically. We have passed a law that simplifies formulas for environmentally friendly energy production, and all of this is to make the farms more profitable," he said. "However, we must also be able to provide, for those who wish and are professional farmers, stays on their farms. I would like to remind you that this formula is what sector organizations are demanding, such as Unió de Pagesos, which in previous submissions already requested 10 tourist places on farms," said the Minister of Agriculture.

The signatories demand that the government withdraw the draft bill and replace it with a law "focused exclusively on defending, consolidating, and promoting agricultural activity," with special attention to organic farming and the recovery of abandoned land. "We don't want a rural law that kills the countryside," they conclude. The regional minister of agriculture explained: "We will receive the objections, study them, and, of course, incorporate anything that could improve the law."