Agriculture prevail against import local productions.

Quintero declared that the REA balances must be adjusted to the quantities strictly necessary for supply.

The Minister of agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and waters of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, announced today in Parliament that the regional Executive must continue working to place Canarian producers on equal terms with their competitors, Therefore, it will analyze how to progressively reduce import aid in favor of local productions..

In the parliamentary plenary session, the counselor explained that in the last legislature adjustments were made to alleviate the difficulties that livestock farming in the Canary Islands is going through in two lines., address the POSEI financial file and increase import aid for cereals; and pointed out that these steps must continue to be taken to achieve a reasonable level of self-sufficiency, Therefore, it is being studied how to progressively reduce aid and exemptions for direct consumption for livestock products., imported from both the EU and third countries.

“In addition, we must adjust the REA balances to the quantities strictly necessary for the supply, and reduce balances to the same extent as local production increases; to do this, we must do an exhaustive job of analysis”, Quintero said..

“I am also aware that we must find the right balance of levels of support, so that the import of already processed livestock products – which do not generate added value in the Canary Islands- do not hinder the development of two sectors, the livestock farmer and the agri-food industry”, commented the person in charge of the Area.

During his intervention, Quintero pointed out that with regard to imports he will not differentiate between products from third countries that, They are imported without tariff, of products from the European Union, who have already benefited from the aid established in the CAP, which represent more than 50.000 million euros, of those that Spain receives 6.800 million.

This fact means that Canarian livestock is doubly affected by imports., Hence, the Canary Islands Government defends that measures must be put in place to mitigate the situation..

“We must produce more on our land and we must maximize our possibilities”, Quintero indicated, quien se refirió también a las medidas tomadas en la pasada legislatura para este fin, como la de aumentar la ayuda a la importación a los cereales destinados a la alimentación animal hasta cubrir los 100 EUR per tonne, “que ha dado muy buenos resultados”.

Esta cobertura permite a los ganaderos canarios ser más competitivos al acceder a estos insumos, que representan aproximadamente un 75% de los costes de producción de una explotación ganadera, al mismo precio que lo hacen los ganaderos continentales.