Farmers to receive compensation for drought losses under new government plan
Executive vows to bring back county offices to help farmers with red tape after fresh wave of protests
The Catalan government and farmers have agreed on a special drought plan that will make some water restrictions more flexible.
The executive has promised to compensate farmers up to 80% of losses suffered due to the drought restrictions and has guaranteed access to water for cattle farmers.
Farmers in regions of Catalonia under red alert for drought have had to reduce irrigation by 80%, and livestock farmers have had to cut water use in half.
In addition to compensation, the government has committed to ensuring the survival of woody and perennial crops (such as almond trees, olive trees, or vineyards).
For livestock farmers, the government pledged to provide enough water to sustain non-fattening livestock.
The agreement also includes the creation of a working group to plan the modernization of irrigation systems and the efficient use of water, as well as a review of policies for the conservation of forest ecosystems.
The government has also pledged to restore local district offices to help farmers with the procedures. The data required from farmers will also be reduced, simplifying bureaucracy, one of the key demands of farmers.
These are the main measures agreed between farmers' representatives and the Climate Action minister, David Mascort, after a meeting that lasted more than six hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening in Manresa.
After presenting the new measures, Mascort said that "the fundamental problem is that farmers need to be able to make a living, and we have to find the formula to allow them to do so," adding that the governments "should not make it more difficult."
The agreement comes after hundreds of farmers blocked the AP-7 highway for more than 30 hours on Tuesday. Although they reached an agreement with the Catalan government last week after 2,000 tractors brought Barcelona to a standstill, the farmers were not satisfied with the deal.
On Wednesday, after receiving new guarantees from the Catalan executive that the agreement would be respected, the farmers decided to call off the protests. However, they warned of new protests in two weeks if the measures are not implemented.