- The drought table meets for the third time to analyse the situation of the agricultural lands of southern Navarre. The harvest of wheat and barley has been considered virtually lost, with a total of 40,000 hectares, and the agricultural unions, in addition to tax aid, propose using cereal straw for livestock instead of smoking as biomass.
At the headquarters of the Department of Rural Development of the Government of Navarra in Pamplona, the drought table was convened this Tuesday to discuss how to deal with the increasingly serious drought situation.
In the Ribera and Navarra Media, much of the dry land – non-irrigated – has been declared lost and already 40,000 hectares would be "heavily affected", according to the Government of Navarra. These are lands that mainly consume wheat and barley.
The 119,000 hectares that are irrigated are in a different situation: the 30,000 hectares that occupy the waters of Itoiz have a "total guarantee", but those that take the water from Yesa will have greater difficulties, as the reservoir is filled only 55%, the lowest level of the last twenty years. This has caused the Bardenas Canal to carry only half of last year’s water, due to restrictions imposed by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Spain is preparing a decree to equate the drought-affected areas to those that have suffered a natural disaster, but until 16 May there will be no draft. Instead, they call on the European Commission to activate aid for extraordinary crises.
"We are being told that in Andalusia animals are already dying of hunger and thirst. There is nothing, and that little there is sold very expensive"
(Fermin Gorraiz, EHNE)
Straw not for biomass to feed livestock
After meeting the drought table, the major agricultural unions have expressed their concern about the situation and have asked for tax aid to make reductions or exemptions in income tax, among others.
In addition, the representative of the UAGN trade union, Félix Bariain, has proposed that wheat straw and barley currently used for smoking as biomass be used to feed livestock.
Fermin Gorraiz of the EHNE of Navarra joined this request: "We are being told that in Andalusia animals are already dying of hunger and thirst. There's nothing, and that little bit there is sold very expensive," says EiTB.
In Navarre there are several infrastructures that use biomass. In the last decade this type of fuel has increased by 26%, especially since the beginning of the energy crisis in 2021. In many of these infrastructures, in addition to wood, cereal straw is used. For example, the Acciona plant in Sangüesa consumes 160,000 tons of cereal straw a year, as you can read on its website.