COAG Will ask to the MARM an official line of soft credits to adapt the farms of birds and pigs

The Coordinator of Organisations of Agriculturalists and Graziers (COAG) has requested to the Minister of Agriculture, Feeding and Environingingment, Miguel Arias Cañete, a monographic meeting on animal welfare to analyse the impact of the new rule in our sector grazier. During the same, the agricultural organisation will ask an official line of soft credits to avoid the closing of thousands of farms of birds and pigs in Spain in front of the big economic outlay that supposes the adaptation to the new normative. Likewise, it will request to the Minister that interceda in front of the EU to achieve a moratorium of two years.

From 1 January 2012 the exploitations avícolas producers of eggs have to fulfil with a series of requirements: cages bigger for the hens, with nest, yacija for escarbar and system of cut of nails. The cost varies of an exploitation to another, but situates between the 15-20 euros/hen. In a Spanish half exploitation, of some 40.000 hens, the investment round the 720.000 euros. “The impact of the normative is clear and conclusive. They are many the exploitations that will not be able to face up to these strong economic investments, in front of the fault of liquidity and credit and, therefore, will have to close, dismantling the economic and social fabric associated to them in the half rural. It foresees that of the more than 1.000 exploitations of layers that exist in our country, the figure descend until some 600”, has aimed Jose Luís Iranzo, responsible of Productions Graziers of COAG.

To the equal that in the sector aviar, the exploitations of pork will have to adapt to the new reglamentación on welfare, that in this sector will go in in force on 1 January of the year 2013. Along this year, more than 75.000 farms of pork of white layer will have to face up to strong economic investments to adapt the installations to the rule. In this sector, the cost by animal calculates around 250-300 animal/euros in exploitations of sows. In total, will have to invest more than 700 million euros to tackle these changes. “Can throw by it embroiders it years of efforts for offering a healthy product and sure to reasonable prices. In pork and birds, have achieved some high standards of quality and productivity in base to big investments to consolidate a model of sustainable production and very competitive”, has remembered Iranzo, to what has added: “besides, a lower production, when increasing the available space by animal in 30%, will open the door to the imports of third countries that do not fulfil with the European norms on animal welfare, a disloyal competition inasumible”. From COAG Is working so that the EU demand to the imports of third countries the same standards in matter of alimentary hygiene, respect to the environingingment, animal welfare and labour social protection, that fulfil our productions. And it is that from the agricultural organisation aim that the subject of the animal welfare goes to be followed earning a lot of leadership during the next years, and in particular under the Danish presidency of the European Union during the first semester of 2012, during which will set up strategies of welfare with regard to modernisation, sacrifice and transport of the livestock.To