Mallorca farms get water priority in rural areas
Mallorca farms would take priority over other users competing for water on rural land, once the population’s supply is secure. The Balearic Government approved its new agriculture bill on Friday, with president Marga Prohens presenting the plan from Menorca. It now goes to Parliament, where Prohens hopes it will pass before the end of the year or at the start of the second sitting period.
The proposal puts farming, livestock and forestry ahead of residential use on rural land. It also seeks to increase irrigation with treated water, while backing local produce, organic farming and shorter routes from farm to customer.
New rule for larger rural homes
New detached homes of more than 100 square metres on plots of 14,000 square metres or more would have to meet a farming condition for at least 15 years. The rule would apply only where planning and building regulations already allow a home to be built.
Owners would not have to become professional farmers. They could farm the land, invest in bringing it into production or improving it, link up with professional farmers or priority agricultural holdings, or make land available through the public land bank.
The bill creates no new building rights and does not alter minimum plot sizes. Its aim is to keep agricultural land in use rather than let it fall out of production.
Six-bed cap for farm accommodation
The plan also promotes processing, direct sales and short supply chains so farms retain more of the value from their food. Town halls would be expected to give local products more prominence at markets and fairs, while public food contracts would include criteria favouring them.
It sets a maximum of six places per holding for agroestancias, a new accommodation category tied to priority farms with genuine agricultural activity. The places would come from existing tourist accommodation quotas, meaning no new tourist places would be created. In general, farms must have been registered as priority agricultural holdings for more than four years.
Topics: Fires · Agriculture · Tourism · Wildfires · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com