The opposition of the primary sector against the Brussels directives and their application by the states has highlighted the problems in the countryside and the difficulties in adapting to the new agricultural model promoted by the EC. Excessive bureaucracy, increased costs, new environmental requirements or "unfair" competition from non-EU countries are at the center of the claims.
Changes to the The field wants the EU to make the current common agricultural policy (CAP) more flexible and simpler, especially with regard to environmental requirements. They complain of an "excessive bureaucracy" which means "unbearable" costs for professional farmers and ranchers, which makes it difficult to meet the objectives set by Brussels in terms of the environment. "The priority is legislative paralysis in the face of the 'tsunami' of European laws, because we can't do it anymore, we're suffocating", they explain from the agricultural organization Asaja. There is so much paperwork, they lament in the sector, that many farms – most of which are small and medium in size – are bewildered and unable to deal with it. One of the recurring complaints is the obligation to use the Digital Notebook, a kind of record of activity. Unions such as the Union of Farmers also point out that the current CAP complicates access to aid.
Restrictions on fertilizers. The new rules provided for the obligation to reduce fertilizers by at least 20% and to dedicate a minimum of 4% of arable land to "non-productive activities". Farmers consider that these requirements decrease the profitability of farms and reduce their competitiveness in the market. This point is now in abeyance, as the EC announced yesterday the withdrawal of the proposal to reduce the use of pesticides. Therefore, the primary sector is aiming for a victory.
Foreign competition Farmers regret fighting an "unregulated" market that imports agricultural products from third countries at low prices, which puts downward pressure on those from the EU and those produced in Spain. "These extra-community productions do not comply with the EU's internal regulations and represent a contradiction and hypocrisy of the community's political action, between commercial policy and its own common agricultural policy", COAG, Asaja and UPA insist. For this reason, they are calling for the suspension of negotiations on agreements such as Mercosur, the non-ratification of the agreement with New Zealand and the suspension of negotiations with Chile, Kenya, Mexico, India and Australia. In addition, they want the central government, with the supervision of the European Commission, to increase checks at the border with Morocco to ensure that imported Moroccan agricultural products comply with internal EU regulations and tariff amounts set in the free trade agreement "It is vital to recover community preference to recover food sovereignty", they say.
Law of the food chain. UPA, Asaja and COAG also demand the modification and extension of the Law on the Agri-Food Chain to prohibit unfair practices and that the prices charged by farmers cover production costs. They also request that the AICA – Food Information and Control Agency – apply financial sanctions more in line with the offense submitted and that control resources be expanded.
Drought. Regarding the lack of rain and the effects, they are asking the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, for aid to the sector and long-term solutions.
How big is the primary sector in In the European Union there are just over 10 million primary farms, with around 150 million hectares of land. The latest agricultural census indicated that at the end of 2020 there were a total of 914,871 agricultural holdings in Spain, 7.6% less than the 2009 census. In contrast, the surface used increased by 0.7%, up to 23 .9 million hectares. The vast majority of farms are family owned (96.3%). In other words, it is small and medium-sized companies, to a large extent, that sustain the sector. Spain is the second EU country with the most agricultural area, only behind France, and directly employs around 740,000 people. The primary sector contributed 110,100 million euros to the country, 9.2% of GDP.
