Path Luis Planas He assumed the post of head of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on June 7, 2018. Since then, the Valencian minister has faced numerous obstacles that have seriously jeopardized his succession as head of the portfolio; However, Planas has established himself as one of the strong men of the government of Pedro Sánchez, who recently took office as president.

The last five years have pushed farmers, ranchers and the countryside over the edge as the pandemic was compounded by inclement weather, increased inputs and shortages of raw materials due to the war in Ukraine, which resulted in very significant losses. in productions.

Farmers’ desperation has led to tractors lining the main arteries of Spanish capitals. Tensions and demonstrations against sharp increases in production costs or demands to control fair prices in supermarkets occurred during the legislature and repeatedly exposed Planas. The vacillation did not topple the leader, who relied on reform of the Food Chain Law to consolidate his work.

Now, with four more years to go, Luis Planas faces his second term with his mandate fully fulfilled, although he has a long list of demands to fulfill. Independent consulted with some of the main professional agricultural organizations in Spain, such as COAG (Coordinator of Farmers and Ranchers’ Organizations), UPA (Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers) and the Union of Farmers and Ranchers’ Unions, what are the outstanding issues of the Minister.

Facades of the Ministry of Agriculture

Minister Planas’ tasks focus mainly on issues such as inflation and drought. “It is clear that Minister Planas is aware of all the problems of agriculture and livestock production, and this is a strength when it comes to taking action in those aspects that could cause significant harm to our activities,” says Miguel Padilla, Secretary General. COAG (Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organisations).

The UPA took advantage of Minister Planas’ “renewal” to invite him to “meet more, listen more and take more into account Spanish farmers and ranchers.”

The organization highlighted the enormity of the Spanish countryside’s challenges, such as feeding a growing population in the context of climate change, “an increasingly respectful use of natural resources and in an international panorama of enormous uncertainty.” that Spain has a strong and politically relevant Ministry of Agriculture, which is at the forefront of the sector, which it represents in the Council of Ministers and the European Council,” the UPA states.

The Union of Unions believes that Planas will have to take responsibility for fronts such as the crisis generated by the conflict in Ukraine and aggravated by drought. “There are farms and sectors, such as vineyards and olive groves, that are still not covered by the adopted support packages. With margins in crisis and costs rising, the threat to farm survival is in many cases very serious,” they say.

According to COAG Secretary General Miguel Padilla, one of the most important tasks of the Ministry of Agriculture should be the assessment of the national product: “We ask you to protect us in Europe from threats that harm our activities, such as unfair competition. with products from “other countries that do not meet the same requirements as us and are at the same level on our shelves. Our representatives must defend not Spanish policy, but European policy.”

UPA officials call the passage of the Family Farming Act and massive investments in modernizing irrigation “inevitable and urgent measures that the Spanish countryside has waited too long for.” “One of the main challenges we have as an organization is maintaining the professional model, which today is threatened by large funds that are not designed for agriculture with farmers and livestock with ranchers in this sector,” Padilla asserts.

Messages to the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Problems

Regarding the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Problems, where she repeats as Minister Teresa RiberaThe UPA requires a much closer and ongoing dialogue with farmers and ranchers, “the recipients of many of the policies that fall under their purview and which in many cases have not received a high degree of acceptance and understanding within the agricultural sector.”

The UPA demands greater attention to issues related to the demographic challenge in rural areas, “a problem that has in no way been resolved and continues to be one of the main unresolved problems of our society.”

The union is “awaiting” whether, in this new period, the Minister of Agriculture will “wage the necessary battles with his partner in the ecological transition to protect the agricultural sector and its specialists.”

The association raises concerns about the government’s “green agenda such as the wolf incident, livestock attacks and restrictions on irrigation. It will be necessary to see whether agriculture will provide better protection for our sector than so far,” the association said. indicates in the Union of Unions, which asks Planas to “confirm or approve” its team in agriculture as soon as possible and always gives priority to technical competence and knowledge. “This field needs people who know, and, moreover, know as quickly as possible,” they conclude.