The National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA) complains “swift action” by the Government to support affected farmers by the fires, while the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers (CAP) draws attention to a “national problem” qwhich does not only affect the rural world and requires “measures to reinforce prevention and avoid future tragedies”of a “lasting” nature, rejecting “simplistic or merely prohibitionist solutions”.
The area burned in mainland Portugal since Sunday exceeds 106 thousand hectares, of which nearly 76 thousand are in the north and center of the country, according to the European Copernicus system, leading the Government to declare a state of emergency in the affected municipalities. Although forests stand out, with a predominance of areas dedicated to eucalyptus, agriculture has also been affected on different fronts, with reports of losses of fruit orchards, olive groves and vineyards, but also of livestock farms.
In a statement sent to newsrooms this Wednesday, the CNA urges the Government and other sovereign bodies to move forward with a “rapid mobilization of resources for the rapid assessment of losses and temporary inability to produce” and “financial support for small and medium-sized farmers affected to be allocated for loss of income, aid for animal feed in the case of destruction of pastures and others”, as well as “the implementation of medium and long-term measures”.
“The current situation clearly shows that fires are not just a problem that exclusively affects rural areas and the interior. The rural world and the interior suffer greatly from fires, destroying natural resources, farms and animals, and losing a lot of biodiversity, but what these fires also show is that this is a national problem, which also affects urban and industrial areas”highlights, in turn, the CAP.
“It’s not just what is abandoned that burns. What has people in it also burns”emphasizes the organization led by Álvaro Mendonça e Moura, also in a statement sent to newsrooms, in which it defends that “strategically investing in prevention saves lives”: “A Prevention, taken seriously, is not a cost, it is an investment. Simplistic or merely prohibitionist solutions of any kind are rejected. This is the time to look for stable and lasting solutions that will prevent future tragedies.”
The CNA subscribes that “the prevention policy takes very short steps” and “is not very resolute” and points the finger at successive Governments, pointing out that These fires “highlight repeated errors and serious omissions with regard to agroforestry policy”. “Since the most destructive fires of 2017, many burnt areas remain unreforested, the forest remains disorganized and dominated by large continuous patches of eucalyptus at the service of the interests of large industry”, he accuses.
Speaking to Negócios, CAP’s secretary general, Luís Mira, points out, however, that many “myths” have been created around eucalyptus that do not contribute to solving the problem, which ultimately comes down to management: “Eucalyptus areas that are part of the industry do not burn because they are economically managed. If they have value, they will not burn. This has nothing to do with the fact that it is a monoculture, but with management. Just look at the example of the Pinhal de Leiria.”
For Luís Mira, not only “must there be preventive actions during the rest of the year”, but they also need to be looked at from another perspective: “Sometimes we lose focus. The European Union has a policy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. And Portugal has made efforts, for example, by shutting down the Pego coal-fired power plant, which are being brought down by fires of this size, so this aspect has to be addressed.”to be included in the fight against CO2 emissions or decarbonization will go down the drain”.
“This work cannot be the sole responsibility of the rural landowner. It was as if the police were supported only by those who have assets”, reinforces the same person in charge, contrasting this reality with the incentives made available by the Environmental Fund for the purpose, which range from the acquisition of windows and solar panels to the purchase of environmentally friendly bicycles.
The CNA also touches on this nerve, pointing out that “small and medium-sized forest owners are often made scapegoats for the blame for firesforced to undertake very expensive cleaning tasks that consume a large part of their meager income.”
“As with agricultural production, successive governments have deliberately turned a blind eye to the crushing monopolies on prices for agricultural and forestry production. While large commercial areas rule on one side, prices in forestry are dictated by large industries producing cellulose, wood derivatives and cork, a circumstance that greatly contributes to the loss of economic interest in forestry and its active management,” he adds.
Still in this context, and more immediately, the CNA defends that, “in collaboration with local authorities and forestry producers, The Government must promote the creation of reception and marketing parks for wood ‘saved’ from the fires, establishing minimum prices, in order to obtain some income for the small and medium producers affected and to clear the forests and protect the environment and resources such as water and soil”.
“Also, without further delay, there must be political courage to implement measures that ensure transparency in the agroforestry chain and the increase in the price of timber in production, a structuring factor of the utmost importance for the national forest and attractive for small and medium-sized forest producers”, he stresses.
Source: www.jornaldenegocios.pt
