Food prices jump 35.3% as Greenpeace urges farm plan

Food prices in Spain are 35.3% higher than five years ago, Greenpeace says, as it calls for a climate adaptation plan for farming. The environmental group made its demand in Madrid on Tuesday, 8 September, saying the plan should curb price rises in the short and medium term while protecting food sovereignty and food security.

Greenpeace also accused the Government of inaction over the continuing rise in food costs. It blames the impact of the climate crisis on harvests and conventional farming’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels.

Olive oil shows the pressure on household budgets, according to Greenpeace agriculture lead Helena Moreno. Historic droughts and heatwaves during olive flowering in 2022 and 2023 badly damaged production, while the price of olive oil almost tripled between 2021 and 2024. Greenpeace says households then cut back or switched to cheaper, lower-quality oils.

The group wants a plan backed by substantial funding, with ministries and public administrations working together. It also calls for water management that is fair, social and sustainable.

Greenpeace is demanding a sharp cut in intensive livestock farming, particularly pig production, citing its dependence on Spanish and imported cereals and its contribution to the climate and water crisis. It wants crops grown for direct human consumption to take priority over feed for intensive livestock.

Spain should move quickly and fairly towards agroecology, Greenpeace says, reducing its use of synthetic fertilisers and fossil fuels. The group also renewed its call for Spain to leave fossil fuels behind by 2040 and end fossil-fuel subsidies.

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Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com