Redaccion
The Xunta has highlighted the increase in unique applications for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Galicia, surpassing by more than 800 those registered in the previous campaign in the same period, despite starting at a «slow» pace.
This was conveyed by the director general of the CAP and Control of the Food Chain, Juan José Cerviño, who presented the latest data to the Commission on Agriculture, Food, Livestock, and Mountains at his own request.
During his appearance, the director general emphasized that Galicia was one of the first communities to extend the deadline for these aid applications until May 15 and also urged the Spanish Agrarian Guarantee Fund (FEGA) to remove the penalty for late submissions until May 31, a measure that this organization adopted on May 5, «after pressure from different autonomous regions.»
Additionally, Cerviño also mentioned the status of payments for the 2024 campaign and a summary of the payments for 2025.
On the other hand, the PSdeG and the BNG criticized him for providing «already known» data and for initiating requests «clumsily and out of time,» which caused «serious setbacks» for farmers and collaborating entities.
Thus, PSdeG deputy Lara Méndez pointed out that the official reasons for the extension – such as weather conditions or system complexity – are not «new or exceptional,» and that the «real problems» stem from the «lack of resources» in rural offices, the «saturation» of processing entities, the «recurrent IT errors,» and the «limited training» of technical staff.
Furthermore, she denounced the «progressive decrease» in the number of applications: since 2019, Galicia has dropped from 27,086 applications to just over 23,400 in 2024, a 14% decline. According to the BNG, this demonstrates a «lack of effectiveness» in the Xunta’s policies to support rural areas and the crisis of generational succession in the agricultural sector.
In this context, BNG deputy Secundino Fernández reproached Cerviño for not traveling to Brussels with the Minister of Rural Affairs, María José Gómez, for the presentation of the new CAP guidelines. The director general justified his absence by jesting that had he gone, he would have been criticized for not being in Galicia during the application period.
MEASURES FOR THE LOURENZÁ BEAN
On another note, the Xunta emphasized the package of measures aimed at supporting Lourenzá bean producers, including a direct aid line of 2,000 euros per hectare for all producers registered in the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), with a total estimated budget of 72,000 euros.
The director general of the Galician Agency for Food Quality, Martín Alemparte, justified the criticized delay by the BNG by explaining that the first formal meeting at the request of the PGI president took place on January 30, which is a «reasonable» time frame, considering that the measures announced on March 14 are already being implemented.
The Galician government has stated that among the measures are the creation of a financial instrument to ensure liquidity for the entire agricultural sector, assuming the interest on credits requested by producers and farmers; the launch of a specific research project against pests and diseases, and the initiation of a study to find a commercial outlet for uncertified tainted beans.
IMPORTANCE OF MUNICIPALITIES IN THE ‘RURAL PATH PLAN’
Among other matters, the director general of Rural Development, María Paz Rodríguez, highlighted the role of municipalities in the ‘Rural Path Plan’ to select paths for improvement and develop technical projects. The grants will cover up to 100% of eligible expenses and will be processed on a non-competitive basis.
This was conveyed in response to a question from Popular Party deputy Nicole Grueira about the specific actions of the ‘Rural Path Plan.’
The director general explained that the plan will have a budget of around 20 million euros and will allow for actions to expand, maintain, and condition municipal roads connecting at least two agricultural plots.
In this regard, the Xunta has detailed that the distribution criteria combine fixed allocations per municipality with factors such as the number of inhabitants, population entities, surface area, weight of agricultural activity, and geographical location.
Additionally, the director general emphasized the importance of institutional collaboration and equity in fund distribution.
Finally, it was noted that since 2016, over 6,000 paths have been improved, totaling about 4,744 kilometers of rural roads, with a cumulative investment of 167 million euros. The call was published on January 29 and includes actions until the end of 2026.
