The Llucmajor poultry farm will have to reduce its capacity by a third.

PalmThe General Directorate of Urban Harmonization and Environmental Assessment has rejected the application for an integrated environmental authorization for the Cisternetas laying hen farm in the municipality of Llucmajor, and has ruled that the facility must reduce its capacity to a maximum of 40,000 more places, approximately one third.

This resolution, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, is in addition to the unfavorable environmental impact statement issued by the General Directorate itself in relation to this farm, and will mean that the company promoting this facility must present a verifiable plan for reducing places in order to reach the established objective, which is a reduction of 0,000.

The company promoting this livestock farm, following the fine received from the government's environmental agency following complaints from residents, had requested the legalization of the facilities and authorization for a capacity of 135,696 hens, which it currently operates. The existing poultry farm includes seven sheds, a manure pit, and accessory buildings.

The rejection of the integrated environmental authorization, which was notified this Thursday, also means the filing of this application, adding to the unfavorable resolution of the environmental impact statement issued last July by this General Directorate of the Ministry of Housing, Territory and Mobility, due to adverse impacts.

In this procedure, along with these resolutions, two unfavorable reports, considered binding, have also been issued by the Government's Livestock Production and Climate Change and Atmosphere services, and it has also been taken into account that the project does not comply with the minimum distances in the nearest urban center established by Law 3/2019, of January 31, currently existing facilities that are in process of being processed upon the entry into force of Law 2/2025, of June 1, on urgent measures for the protection of people and the natural environment with regard to certain intensive poultry farms.

Capacity reduction before the end of the year

The new resolution establishes that the company must immediately submit to the Government's General Directorate of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development a verifiable plan to reduce the number of chicken spaces, which must achieve the reduction target (maximum 40,000 spaces) by December 31, 2025. This plan is part of Urban Harmonization and Environmental Assessment.

It also determines that the developer company, where applicable, must process the necessary authorizations for the operation of a maximum of 40,000 chickens and the dunghill, which it does not currently have, including authorization from the APCA (Potentially Polluting Activities of the Atmosphere); and comply with the legal regime provided for this type of farm in the Balearic Agrarian Law and in Royal Decree 637/2021, which establishes the basic rules for the management of poultry farms.

Among the environmental impacts analyzed during this process, for which an unfavorable environmental impact statement was issued last month, it is worth highlighting the emissions of particles and odors, the proliferation of pests, the impacts of leachate from the dunghill, and the risk of chloride and chloride contamination; as well as the risk to the ecosystems of the temporary water ponds.

The General Directorate in question has notified this resolution to the promoting company and all the public bodies involved in this procedure: the Llucmajor City Council and several government departments, such as the Climate Change and Atmosphere Service, the Waste and Contaminated Soil Service, the General Directorate of Water Resources and the General Directorate of Water Resources and.