The Hotel Federation, regarding the agricultural law: "We already know what happens if we put tourists in apartments, and now we want to take them to the countryside?"

PalmMallorca'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."

Many criticisms that coincide

The agrarian law has garnered significant criticism from diverse sectors, but concentrated on certain articles. These primarily concern urban deregulation, such as the increased capacity for construction and larger farms, and the expansion of tourism activities, which raises the limit from six to ten beds per farm. On these points, and also on the possibility of creating new points of sale—a measure denounced by Afedeco—most of the professional and civic groups that have submitted objections agree. Environmental organizations like GOB have been the most vocal: they argue that the text, as currently drafted, undermines the protection of rural land and opens the door to "inappropriate uses," mass legalizations, and a wave of construction and activities that do not prioritize agricultural production. They demand the withdrawal or rewriting of the bill to prioritize the food and ecological function of the countryside over tourism or commercial activities, which further degrade agricultural land. Environmentalists are demanding that new buildings intended for tourist activity on rural land be limited or prohibited, and that expansions be controlled. They are also calling for a review of definitions and criteria for "complementary activities" to ensure that they do not allow the main activity to cease being cultivation. Unions and agricultural organizations oppose the degradation of the land.

Agricultural sector entities have also submitted objections, but with some nuances: some organizations are asking that the new law favor the economic viability of professional farming, but they warn that the proposed measures—especially those allowing complementary activities with increased building rights—could benefit investors rather than traditional farmers. The organic producers' association Apaema has asked the Ministry of Agriculture "why is there a need to build more sheds in rural areas?" referring to the urban development possibilities opened up by the law. Agricultural entities and the College of Engineers of Levante (COIAL) have called for "stricter protection of agricultural land to prevent the loss of productive land and the fragmentation of farms," instead of focusing so much on complementary activities. The danger of new commercial establishments

Trade associations like Afedeco have expressed their opposition to certain provisions in the text, which they argue grant too much leeway to direct sales and new establishments on rural land, creating unfair competition and conflicts with local urban planning regulations. They demand that the law not infringe upon municipal powers or allow facilities that operate as permanent businesses with advantages over urban establishments. Business owners in the retail sector are not against direct sales—that a farm can sell its produce directly on-site—but they are against opening the door to selling all types of products and promoting any commercial activity that goes beyond a farmer or rancher selling their goods. This will not halt the sector's decline.

Several experts and professional associations argued in their submissions that if rural areas shift towards other types of activities, there is a risk of transforming them into purely residential spaces, and they called for the preservation of rural land. According to the College of Engineers of Levante (COIAL), the rural sector has lost relevance in the Balearic Islands in recent decades, largely due to population pressure and the fragmentation of agricultural land ownership. These factors have diminished agriculture's strategic role and led to the abandonment of farms.