All together, Spanish environmental groups, macro farms, Intensive industrial livestock facilities that house thousands of cattle in a very small area. General brutal impact on the environment: goodness climate change And greenhouse gas emissions, pollute the aquifers and to encourage deforestation. Conservationists also blame them animal abuse.
A royal decree came to put an end to these exploits: limits the number of heads a farm can have: about 725 dairy cows or 850 units of cattle. The document received moderate applause from the environmental universe. Clap, because you’re thinking about it”very positive for the environment and waters, regions and animals“And moderate because he sees”insufficient“.
The new standard puts a definitive end to the problem. macro farm Projected by the Valle de Odieta company Noviercas (Soria)where it is intended exploiting 23,520 cows. It would become the largest in Europe and one of the five largest in the world.
Likewise, the new legislation will not allow the expansion of existing farms, which would nullify, for example, the same company’s request to expand their farms. macro farm related to Kaparoso (Navarra)That would be almost 12 times larger than what the new law dictates.
Despite all this, the text falls short, according to Greenpeace: “850 head of cattle is still too much and the environmental impact is still huge.“. Therefore, the NGO submitted a claim demanding that the maximum capacity be 180 heads. Valle de Odieta has already announced that she will appeal the royal decree before the Supreme Court..
Goal is to reduce cattle herd by 50%
“Is necessary Reducing cattle herd by 50% by 2030. Only then will we be able to deal with climate change, water pollution, emissions and animal suffering,” says Greenpeace, noting that other European countries have passed “more ambitious” legislation.
“An example HollandApproving a law establishing a Ministry of Nature and Nitrogen in 2022 and plans to reduce emissions by up to 70%. This means that one in three farms will have to close,” emphasizes the environmental group.
Yet another example: GermanyThe European Union’s largest pork exporter will withdraw veterinary certificates for the transport of live animals outside the EU as of this summer. In this way, both the number of farms will decrease and their size will decrease.
Another alternative is the one adopted by the Government of the Belgian region. FlandersCompensation to pig producers who reduce the capacity of their farms or decide to close their farms completely, Greenpeace has collected more than 500,000 signatures against macro farms.
According to Greenpeace, it is “necessary” to take these countries as an example and take action against them. Macro farm model based on raising and feeding animals as quickly as possible to maximize profits. An example: Piglets are fed to reach 120 kilos in six months.
“A model that never stops growing: in Spain, Since the 1960s the number of cows has doubled, and the number of pigs has quintupled.‘, says Greenpeace.
All this “does not come to the planet for free.” Right now, “40% of groundwater, the reserves of the future, is in poor condition because of overuse and contamination of nitrates mainly from industrial livestock and agriculture.
Fields turned to garbage
“Macro farms turn fields into landfills, as they produce a large amount of feces; although they may be perfect to go pastthey are in large quantities poison“Adds Greenpeace.
NGO reveals Agriculture is already “the third largest contributor to climate change in Spain” and 65% of its emissions come from livestock”. methaneHe criticizes that the agricultural sector “is responsible for 63 percent of government emissions, and 98 percent of them originate from livestock.”
Macro farms are the maximum representative of industrial livestock. They require the use of fossil fuels to fertilize, collect and transport their inputs.generates large volumes of waste that cannot be processed or assimilated by biota and seeps into aquifers and surface waters.
Intensive livestock farming beyond the local area consuming excessive amounts of feednecessary for the production deforest large plots of land to produce soybeans, for example.
How are different types of farms different? David González, co-founder of the Sustraiak Habitat Design cooperative and specialist in regenerative agriculture and soil reclamation, distinguishes them as follows:
intensive livestock farmingwhere the activity is carried out in the industrial processes of barn animals and the maximum profitability per kilogram of meat produced is dominant.
Comprehensive livestockalthough it basically consists of grazing a herd of cattle fed by the resources of the region they live in, there are also mixed systems where animals are fed for different reasons at certain times of the year (weather, calving, etc.), the cabin needs to be fixed.
regenerative livestockIt is 100% grass-fed, with a focus on regeneration of the soils by grazing by directing the animals.
Migration100% feeding with local grazing sources.
Collecting signatures against macrogranjas: https://es.greenpeace.org/es/trabajamos-en/agricultura/macrogranjas/
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Contact address of the environment department: [email protected]