He winks at the field. A lot. Vox was put on trial during the last election campaign. Taking advantage of the simmering discontent in the Spanish countrysidespurred by the drought that ravaged crops this year and the challenges of an industry in decline due to a lack of intergenerational relief. Farmers were one of the groups most affected by price increases last year. Faced with this deteriorating situation, the Santiago Abascal formation set its sights on this sector and sent messages to the rural world with the intent to represent its weariness. One of their slogans for 23J was: “Vote for what matters: the countryside.” In a meeting with farmers ahead of the general elections, the party argued that the primary sector was suffering from “globalist policies stemming from climate change to impose barriers and green taxes on rural areas”.
Despite Vox losing up to 19 seats after 23J, the party emerged strong from the 28 May elections to gain access to the government of the autonomous communities and town halls with the support of the People’s Party. Vox was able to take over up to four communities with councils empowered to manage agriculture.. The Santiago Abascal formation has been running the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of Castilla y León for a year and a half. And recently they have taken over the Ministry of Agriculture in Aragon and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Community of Valencia. In Extremadura, the party receives the Ministry of Forest Management and Rural World with some powers in the field.
Despite Vox’s desire to benefit from representation of the rural world and support from farmers, Representatives of some of the agricultural organizations ‘Activos’ consulted point out that a large part of agricultural policy is determined by the Brussels directives through the Common Agricultural Policy. and they are skeptical of the changes the party might bring. An example of this was the Junta de Castilla y León’s struggle with the Government and the European Union to make bovine tuberculosis regulations more flexible and change their protocol of action. “In our opinion, they were very inadequate in proposing an alternative and we would have liked more to be done. In Brussels, not enough work has been done,” summarizes Jesús Manuel González Palacín, general coordinator of Unión de Campesinos de Castilla. Although the y León group acknowledged that the Vox Minister of Agriculture, Gerardo Dueñas, was in favor of amending the legislation created by the European Union. “In general terms, it has been a very continuous administration and has been in line with what was determined by Europe,” sums up González Palacín.
Donaciano Dujo, president of Asaja (Young Farmers Agricultural Association) in Castilla y León, points to the lack of dialogue with the new management of the region’s Ministry of Agriculture. “The advisor had less contact with us and less exchange with officials regarding other legislatures.”, he assures, partly something Palacín shares. “Dialogue can always be improved,” he says. With regard to bovine tuberculosis, Dujo acknowledges that Castilla y León is one of the hardest-hit areas and is committed to implementing measures to prevent farmers from being financially harmed by the slaughter of affected cows. “Wildlife should be better controlled,” he explains.
dialogue stance
Thanks to the government deal signed last June with the Popular Party in the Community of Valencia, Vox succeeded in taking over the first vice president with the Culture portfolio and two ministries in the Valencia Executive. One of them is Agriculture. This council includes powers related to livestock, fisheries or food and is separated from Environment and Water undertaken by the People’s Party..
The new owner of the portfolio is agricultural engineer José Luis Aguirre.. Sources from Agriculture Minister Avasaja, “The new minister has already told us that he will try to reach an agreement. He informed us that they will try to increase the budgets allocated to the countryside and try to modernize the infrastructures.” The Valencia Community Young Farmers Association, pointing out that the consulting team has decided for “very technical” profiles.
Another of the regional agricultural associations, Unió Llauradora condemned the delay in nominating new top officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. two months after the elections and three weeks after José Luis Aguirre took office.
Continuity policy for Aragon
The last of the regional agreements between the People’s Party and Vox took place in Aragon. In this autonomous community, Santiago Abascal’s party made the popular Jorge Azcón president in exchange for the region’s vice president and portfolio of the Ministry of Rural Development, Population Reduction and Justice, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food. The land owner will be Ángel Samper. “The new director has been in charge of Asaja in Aragón for a long time. We hope for continuity. We hope the interaction is fluid and we do not expect major changes or diversions”Says Marcos Garcés, president of the Aragon Farmers and Ranchers Association (UAGA), one of the largest associations in the autonomous community.
One of the key points Garcés makes is that most of the CAP aid to Aragon has already been approved for this legislature. and it is no longer possible to make major changes. “It’s a ministry with little resources of its own and little room for maneuver. And once the CAP is organized, it will be relatively easy to manage, despite all the uncertainties that lurk in the countryside, from drought to European regulations,” he says. Garces.
Very limited powers in Extremadura
Related news
In the case of Extremadura, The deal, which allows the popular María Guardiola to assume the presidency of the autonomous community, implies that Vox remains together. Ministry of Forest Management and Rural World. Although most of the agricultural policy remains with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, Environment and Energy, which will be led by the People’s Party, this institution has some powers over agriculture.
“We had some meetings with the people in charge of the new Ministry of Rural World, but they have little authority over agriculture and livestock. They mainly focus on forestry issues. Then they have authority over irrigation, but not over land. Juan Metidieri, president of Apag Extremadura Asaja. “They told us they would support the industry, but I don’t think their management will matter much to us and I will ask them to provide more details on the measures they propose.”Metidieri explains. According to this representative, the basic needs of the countryside in Extremadura include the de-bureaucraticization of agricultural activities and the inclusion of more young people in the countryside and the rural world.