The agreement, reached during a meeting monitoring the management of ZEPA (Special Protection Areas for Birds) in Tàrrega, will allow the installation of agricultural and livestock composting plants. This measure addresses the demands of the unions, which considered the administration's previous interpretation of existing regulations to be “restrictive.”
The Head of Livestock Sectors for Unió de Pagesos, Josep Maria Pijuan, clarified that the flexibility does not involve modifying the regulations, but rather a “change in interpretation” that will become effective in about 15 days. This change will apply to composting plants provided the treated products originate from agriculture and livestock within a limit of 35 kilometers.
During the meeting, the Government reaffirmed the commitment agreed upon in December to compensate the 14,000 hectares of ZEPA excluded from irrigation by the Segarra-Garrigues canal with 7 million euros. Agricultural organizations welcomed the Generalitat's intention to pay these subsidies before the end of the year.
“"It has been confirmed to us that these 7 MEUR will be there, that the formula will be sought for them to be assumed by the end of the year and, therefore, that farmers can collect them before the end of the year."
The meeting was attended by representatives from the departments of Territori (Territory) and Agricultura (Agriculture), along with members of Unió de Pagesos, JARC, Asaja, and the Comunitat de Regants del canal Segarra-Garrigues. The parties plan to meet again in a month to address protected areas in other parts of the Ponent regions.
