The consultation, although non-binding, registered significant participation among the 5,522 residents over 16 years old living within a 2.7-kilometer radius of the affected land. A total of 1,487 residents voted against (89.4%), while only 151 supported the proposal.
The controversy has been ongoing for months, pitting environmental groups and neighbors against the Moià City Council, governed by an absolute majority of Ara Moià-Esquerra Republicana. The municipal plan intended to reclassify 10.8 hectares of rustic land to allow the expansion of the Moianès Regional Slaughterhouse.
In exchange for the expansion, the company was required to offer the city council 2.5 hectares to build a biogas plant, intended to power public lighting, the water company, and municipal facilities.
Opponents argue that the biogas plant would generate smoke and odor, endangering biodiversity near the Pla de Castellnou. Furthermore, they reject the slaughterhouse expansion due to the potential increase in water consumption, as the municipality relies exclusively on underground wells.
“"The results of the municipal elections give us legitimacy to move forward with the project."
The municipal government maintains that the urban modification is necessary to legalize the El Prat industrial estate and resolve environmental problems related to the management of organic waste and livestock slurry. They also guarantee that the operation includes the obligation for the slaughterhouse owners to rebuild the access from the C-59 road.
