The businessman behind the mega-farm in Sineu: "I have requested a meeting with Simonet four times and have received no response."

PalmOnofre Ballester, owner of Avícola Ballester, explained to ARA Baleares that he has requested a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Joan Simonet, four times, but laments that he has received "no response." In recent years, the Balearic Government has sanctioned and opened investigations against the company for its operating farms. However, the owner has submitted various appeals and even requested the correction of official reports filed by the Executive. Adding to the tense relationship between the Executive and the company is the fact that the Government rejected Ballester's proposed mega-farm in Sineu and prohibited such facilities with more than 160,000 hens. Until January 17th of this year, there were no regulations limiting the number of birds on farms in the Balearic Islands, and Simonet drafted them. In any case, Ballester's project did not go ahead because the Government shelved its environmental authorization process, according to a report of urban planning incompatibility issued by the Sineu City Council.

Huge increase in egg consumption

Between August 2024 and July 2025, egg consumption in Spain increased by 3.4%, reaching sales of €1.487 billion, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Demand for eggs has risen approximately 20% since 2019, an increase attributed to the nutritional and health benefits attributed to them in recent years. This year, per capita consumption reached 9.13 kilograms per person, one point higher than the 8.11 kilograms recorded in 2022. In a context of widespread inflation, Spanish consumers have turned to eggs as a cheaper source of protein. However, eggs are not immune to rising prices: in Mallorca, a dozen conventional eggs now costs €3.30, while organic eggs are approaching €5. According to the Spanish Consumers and Users Organization (OCU), the price of eggs in supermarkets has risen by 50% in the last six months. How has this progressed? All PlansThe situation in the Balearic Islands is further complicated by the higher costs associated with island production. Producing eggs is approximately 30% more expensive than on the mainland, a factor that further increases the final price. Another element affecting the Balearic Islands is the reduction in the number of laying hens. Added to this is the fact that the demand for eggs continues to grow, and producers cannot meet it.

Avícola Ballester must cull 100,000 birds

All of this is unfolding against a backdrop of criticism from the largest egg producer in the Balearic Islands, Avícola Ballester (Avícola Son Perot, SA). The company, which must remove nearly 100,000 hens from its Llucmajor farm by December 31st of this year to comply with the government's de-escalation plan, is facing scrutiny from the government due to several controversies it has been involved in in recent months. For years, residents near one of the company's farms in Llucmajor (which has six egg production sheds and one grading facility) have complained of "the nauseating smells of manure and incessant plagues of flies that invade their homes." The facilities in this municipality date back to 2002. At that time, they raised broiler chickens until 2016, when the company ceased operations. In 2017 it reopened, but not as a broiler chicken farm, but as a hen farm, with an initial population of 50,000, which quickly rose to over 100,000 in 2019.

The controversy has escalated, moving beyond neighborhood complaints and into formal legal action. The first complaints were filed in March and April of 2023, prompting the Ministry of Agriculture to initiate proceedings and a series of actions. The earliest records date back to 2023, as confirmed by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, before the Parliament's Committee on Economy on November 13th. In September 2023, inspections were carried out by the Livestock Service and agents of the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard (SEPRONA) to monitor the proper use of the manure storage facility. These inspections resulted in unfavorable reports, leading to a proposed sanctioning procedure regarding the facility's deficiencies. The company submitted its arguments, but the sanctioning procedure concerning the manure storage facility was initiated in December 2023. In January 2024, the government conducted an inspection of the farm in Llucmajor and found deficiencies in building F, which was supposedly housing free-range hens but "did not meet the required conditions," Simonet stated. Reports were then initiated to investigate the potential violations and determine whether the eggs could be sold as free-range eggs. At the end of May, animal rights groups released images showing that the hens and eggs were kept alongside rats, cobwebs, and chicken carcasses. Consequently, ARDE and Satya Animal filed a complaint against the company with the Public Prosecutor's Office for alleged crimes against public health and fraud. Following an inspection, the Ministry of Agriculture closed building 7G and seized all eggs from the Llucmajor facilities, in addition to imposing seven serious and one minor sanctions. It also ordered the removal of the aforementioned building from the registry, so the company emptied it and slaughtered the 20,480 hens inside.

The protests of the residents of Sineu

All these events coincided with the presentation of the Sineu mega-farm project, submitted by the company Avícola Ballester, with a capacity of almost 750,000 hens. This project sparked protests among the town's residents, and the Catalan government ultimately rejected it. In September 2024, after reviewing the allegations and appeals presented, a precautionary measure was issued regarding the Llucmajor farm, prohibiting the sale of eggs as free-range eggs and reducing the hen population to 40,000. Following inspections and a review of all reports, the government opened two sanctioning proceedings (one corresponding to the initial actions carried out in 2023) in addition to the prior complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office. In October of last year, the government suspended both reports after the Public Prosecutor's Office opened proceedings (as provided for by law), but did not suspend the precautionary measures. Furthermore, the farm had already received a fine of almost €200,000 from the Balearic Government for lacking the integrated environmental authorization, a mandatory document for regulating pollution from farms. The suspension of these two cases by the Ministry of Agriculture is being debated in Parliament. The left is questioning the Government's decision and criticizing the fact that there is no technical report to support the Director General's decision to sign the suspension order. "The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating, but there is no open legal process, and the suspension of the cases is not warranted, nor is there any technical report to support this decision," PSIB deputy Marc Pons told the Economy Committee on November 13. Currently, as mandated by the Government, Avícola Ballester is undergoing a phased reduction to bring its flock down to 40,000 hens. This reduction in animals also represents a decrease at a time when demand is growing. Therefore, Onofre Ballester, owner of Avícola Ballester, believes that all these measures "have halted the local product" and regrets that he has had to stop supplying some supermarkets because they cannot keep up with the demand.