Unió de Pagesos responds to Simonet: "Rural land should be dedicated to food production."

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."

That's why, in an Instagram post, Unió de Pagesos has denounced that "between solar panel fields, buildings and improper rural land uses of the same land and disproportionate urban planning regulations, soon there won't be a single inch left to sow." Along the same lines, they reproached the minister for not being able to continue defending local produce "and continue diminishing the rural land dedicated to food production day after day."

In the interview, Simonet explained that despite the urban development pressure that rural land has suffered in recent years, "the area covered by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has practically stabilized over the last ten years." Similarly, he defended those who are committed to a different model of agriculture than traditional or who choose to engage in another type of business. "We can't say that there only has to be one peasant model, because otherwise it would be a dictatorship. We must give everyone the freedom to choose the model they want to follow," he emphasized.

However, the Unió de Pajaros (Farmers' Union) contradicted the minister and asserted that the available land available for cultivation in Mallorca "is becoming smaller and smaller." "It can't be that every 15,000 square meters we find a villa that has sprung up like a mushroom," they insisted. For all these reasons, the farmers took the opportunity to ask the regional minister to implement "bold policies" against non-agricultural uses of rural land, such as solar panels and chalets.