Spain faces a persistent drought that has prompted a national response from the Ministry of Agriculture this Wednesday. The Drought Desk brought together political leaders, the Ministry of Industry, regional authorities, irrigation associations, producer organizations, and agri-food cooperatives with a clear objective: map out immediate steps to ease the crisis besieging rural areas. The agricultural groups Asaja, COAG, and UPA attended with a unified demand for direct financial support and more flexible policy rules. They pressed for relief measures that would accommodate farms grappling with crop losses and water shortages. By day’s end, several union spokespeople signaled disappointment over the absence of concrete, actionable proposals. They urged the government to act swiftly, signaling a preference for a Royal Decree on Drought. The session was chaired by the Under-Secretary of Agriculture, Ernesto Abati, while the meeting did not include the portfolio head, Luis Planas. The ministry promised to pursue measures to offset the multi-million-euro damages in rural areas and indicated it would write to the European Union to seek easier access to CAP subsidies amid the drought.
Pedro Barato, president of Asaja, stressed the urgency of immediate measures. He urged decisive government action, stating that the Spanish countryside cannot be treated as a topic for analysis alone and that a Drought Royal Decree with short, concrete, and transparent steps was essential now. Barato characterized the gathering as analytical and called for practical actions that would pause some existing rules, such as the unenforceable ecological regimes and the single digital ledger. He described the current situation across Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, Extremadura, and Castilla-La Mancha as chaotic, underscoring the regional breadth of the drought’s impact.
Forecasts do not suggest relief in the near term. The rains expected in the coming weeks are unlikely to ease the severe water shortages affecting the country. The drought weighs heavily on winter crops and on irrigation systems that rely on scarce water. Livestock operations and pastures that depend on rainfall face additional stress as conditions limit growth and forage availability. An observer from the sector framed the drought as more than a temporary setback—calling for immediate, practical action to stabilize farming livelihoods in the face of dwindling water resources.
Among the voices present, the Drought Chart, prepared by Andrés del Campo, president of the Spanish National Federation of Irrigation Communities, highlighted the gap between official statements and on-the-ground needs. Del Campo warned that while ministry statements carry weight, farmers require tangible solutions now. He emphasized that protecting citrus crops such as lemons and oranges is critical, noting that a failure this year would complicate recovery in the future. The prevailing sentiment is that the drought situation demands not just talk but decisive policy tools to shield sensitive crops and water-intensive farming practices.
The GOAG spokesperson, Andrés Góngora, echoed similar concerns, calling for a formal State agreement that prevents drought from becoming a backdrop for political strife. The emphasis remained on a unified, coordinated approach that can withstand regional disparities while delivering relief to the worst-affected sectors.
Ignacio Huertas, executive secretary of the UPA, urged a meeting at the highest level to quickly deploy exceptional measures in response to the exceptional drought. He urged the use of European and national budgets, along with regional funds, to bolster grain producers, irrigation networks, and livestock operations. Huertas described the drought as hitting the most vulnerable sectors hardest and urged swift allocation of resources to support them.
Position of autonomous communities
Teresa Jordá, Catalonia’s Minister of Food and Rural Agenda, attended the meeting and urged the government to issue a Royal Decree on Drought that would include direct financial assistance and tax relief to mitigate ongoing drought effects on farming and animal husbandry. Jordá stressed that the government did not present new concrete measures at the gathering and that the session mostly involved listening to affected regions within inland basins such as Segura, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir, where drought remains a critical issue.
Isabela Navarro, Valencia’s Minister of Agriculture and Ecological Transformation, noted that the regional government had prepared its own responses but lamented the continuing rainfall deficit. She highlighted the need for infrastructure investments to treat and reuse irrigation water and improve efficiency across the region.
Andalusian Minister of Agriculture Carmen Crespo, speaking from Seville, outlined a regional stance that prioritizes front-loading CAP support. She advocated for 90% of CAP assistance to be disbursed in October, rather than the typical 70%, and called for the ministry to utilize its crisis reserve to stabilize farms during this period of acute drought.
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