Minister Planas shares Spain's experience in the efficient use of water for agriculture and digitalisation of irrigation systems

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, attends the meeting of ministers of the Mediterranean states of the EU

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has praised the MED9 meeting, with the participation of 9 Mediterranean member states of the EU, because it allows for the exchange of ideas and experiences to achieve a more useful community policy to tackle climate change and its effects, such as drought.

At the agriculture ministerial meeting, held in Cyprus under the title "Drought threats in the primary sector of Mediterranean member states", Planas shared the experience of Spain - a country that suffered severe drought periods in 2012, 2017 and 2023 - in the efficient use of water, with efficient irrigation systems in more than 80% of its irrigated agricultural area.

"The MED 9 meeting has come at a crucial moment, as it has allowed us to reflect on the priorities and visions of the Mediterranean countries of the EU, just before the formation of the next EC," commented the minister.

Luis Planas has shown Spain's support for boosting cooperation in areas such as the adoption of new water-saving technologies and the promotion of sustainable practices in the management of water use in agriculture. To this effect, he pointed out that digitalisation and new technologies will be some of the main solutions to deal with increasingly adverse climatic periods.

He referred to the plan for the modernisation of sustainable irrigation undertaken by the government in 2022, with actions to make better use of every drop of water and to commit to energy efficiency in irrigation, as well as actions for the use of non-conventional water (regenerated or desalinated) to guarantee supply and combat drought. In total, an investment of more than €2.4 billion is foreseen, thanks to European and national public funds and the participation of the private sector (irrigation communities).

New genomic techniques

The improvement of plant varieties using new genomic techniques is a valuable tool for adapting to climate change. For the minister, the adoption of varieties that are better adapted to high temperatures is very necessary in the specific case of Spain and the Mediterranean basin.

The minister stressed the importance of the EU giving the green light "as soon as possible" to new legislation allowing the application of new genomic techniques (NTG) in plant breeding, as is already happening in the US, the UK and Australia, "because it will be key to the future of agriculture in the face of climate change".

In his speech, Planas stressed the timeliness of this meeting, as it contributes to strengthening national policies and reinforces the integration of the EU in terms of facing common problems.

He stressed that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is one of the main instruments to mitigate the effects of drought, in particular through the implementation of eco-regimes, agricultural practices which are a great challenge for farmers, but which will be highly effective in protecting the environment. He explained that the application in Spain of the eco-regimes has been very satisfactory as more than 88% of CAP beneficiary farmers have opted for at least one of these practices, covering 77% of the area.

To support farmers and stockbreeders in the face of the drought problem in Spain, Planas explained that the government has promoted a series of urgent measures to support the agricultural sector in the financial, fiscal and employment areas, as well as specific water policy initiatives for the hydrographic basins, with the largest amount of extraordinary aid to help producers.

He pointed out that the EU must take new steps to tackle the climate and environmental transition, with measures that go hand in hand with adequate support for the primary sector. He added that agriculture must play a leading role in meeting environmental and climate challenges, as the agricultural sector is not the problem, but an important part of the solution.

In this regard, the EU's so-called agricultural reserve must be reformulated and given a higher budget level to be able to cope with the extreme weather events that are increasingly and recurrently affecting EU production.

The meeting, which was attended by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski, was attended by the ministers of Spain, Cyprus, Slovenia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and the Croatian Secretary of State. Luis Planas thanked the commissioner for the sensitivity and approachability that he and his team have shown during his mandate in relation to the agricultural policies that affect the Mediterranean countries.

He also took the opportunity to indicate that a "European response" to the use of risk management tools in the face of climate change, similar to the Spanish agricultural insurance system, is necessary. Last year, around €1.2 billion were paid out in Spain in compensation to farmers and stockbreeders, of which €496 million were for the effects of drought on production.

Luis Planas referred to the importance of increasing digitalisation in day-to-day agricultural work so that farmers and stockbreeders can benefit from the developments offered by, for example, artificial intelligence.

He said that today's participants had adopted a "very interesting institutional declaration, to discuss its content in the future". The text included explicit Spanish support for the implementation of sustainable water management practices in agriculture, the strengthening of cooperation between Mediterranean countries and the promotion of the use of water-saving technologies.

Non official translation