Mallorca farm stays face six-place cap, land fears grow

Mallorca farm stays face a six-place limit per holding: organic farmers say the draft law behind it still does too little to protect farmland. On 3 October 2026, the Mallorca Association of Organic Agricultural Production (Apaema) welcomes parts of the plan but calls for stronger safeguards for organic farming. The Balearic government's governing council has approved the draft; parliament will consider it next.

Six places, but more room for buildings

The draft keeps farm-stay accommodation to six places per holding, rather than the ten first proposed. It also allows certain buildings used for other farm activities to gain up to 20 per cent in volume, without increasing their footprint or the amount of building permitted on the land.

Apaema wants another limit: those additional activities should bring in no more than 30 per cent of a holding's total income. It welcomes provisions for shared processing facilities for small farms and more flexible hygiene rules for small-scale food production, provided public health remains protected.

Organic farmers seek firmer guarantees

The draft covers local seed varieties, crop rotation, pollinators and soil fertility. But Apaema says it does not give organic farming the specific strategic recognition it sought. The group wants concrete support and says public buyers choosing organic products should choose local ones too. It also wants a ban on planting genetically modified crops.

For certain new homes on rural land, the draft requires an agricultural contribution for 15 years. Apaema calls that an improvement, though it wanted the rule to go further. The government has not adopted its proposal to set aside 50 per cent of annual sustainable tourism tax receipts to pay for the farming sector's environmental work. Apaema says the parliamentary debate is now the chance to strengthen the draft.

Topics: Agriculture · Health · Tourism · Politics · Economy

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com