The company Valle de Odieta and its subsidiary (HTN) have been trying for years to expand its facilities against all the regulations that the administration is applying. A court ruling allowed the number of animals to be extended to 7,800 hairs of different ages that are currently allowed. But unhappy with this, in 2023 the project to extend the facilities to 11,372 livestock units was publicly presented. The administrative dossier that is being processed with this savage enlargement appears to have been stand-by, and so far it is unknown what has been taken and what has been done.

We have recently been aware of another project to extend the Odiet Valley through the NAO. The company intends to build a new farm in Caparroso, very close to the current macrofarm. There you would grow calves until you reach the mature cows, ready for production.

It should be remembered that the current macrofarm in Caparroso has authorisation for 7,200 mature cows and 600 jackets, so part of its facilities are for mature cows. The role of calves in their production scheme is to replace mature cows which no longer produce as much milk. But, of course, the holding of such calves in the premises prevents all authorised herds from being used exclusively for production.

In this way, the company seems that the "discovered" way of expanding the facilities, keeping the number of authorized heads, is to remove to another installation animals that do not produce and replace the productive animals. This would increase the number of milk-producing animals in these facilities and their environmental impact.

The company has proposed placing the new farm just over 3 km from the current macro-farm. At the same time, it proposes sharing services such as electricity and waste management with the current macrofarm. In this way, this new calf farm would be a tacit extension of the current macro-farm. This enlargement would be carried out in a clandestine way, as both would be part of the same productive core. In short, the expansion of the Valley of Odiet would take place, far above what is permitted by state and autonomous legislation.

We understand that this is not the only irregularity that can be identified in a prior analysis of the documentation that is exposed to the public. We are faced with a dossier with little documentation, many deficiencies and no environmental impact studies. This prevents proper analysis and prevents the impact that this new installation may have on an important natural environment (the Bardenas). In fact, the new estate would limit the ZEC of the Bardenas Reales, as it would only be separated by a rural road 4 meters wide.

In addition, it should be taken into account that this private business is intended to be implanted in the communal lands of Caparroso. In this way, the natural resources of all Navarros would be re-exploited by private companies in order to increase their capital. This is another example of how the Navarro heritage has gradually become impoverished in recent years, and it should ignite all the alarms.

It is intended to impoverish the heritage of Navarre in a soil qualified as Non Urbanizable Soil for Conservation by Environmental Value, Mosaic of Montes and Cultivar. According to the planning regulations, these soils have a high environmental value, due to their high protection to flora and fauna and to the use of the trophic resource of crops. Although the function of these soils is primarily natural exploitation, the landscape and the environment are an excellent component. Therefore, actions should avoid simplifying the landscape and disrupting the vegetation masses found in crops. Constructions that do not alter the value of the surrounding landscape may only be carried out.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that much of Navarre, especially most of the fertile lands of the Middle Zone and the Ribera, have been declared Risk Areas for Nitrate Pollution. The macro-farms in general and the Valle de Odieta de Caparroso in particular, produce serious environmental impacts by contaminating soils, waters and atmosphere with nitrogen derivatives, as well as others. That is why it is time to call again on the Government of Navarre to stop being lax and to stop authorising polluting agricultural and livestock activities such as macro-farms in these areas.

In the case of the subsidiary Valle de Odieta and HTN, the Government of Navarra has found numerous irregularities in management throughout its history, the most significant case being the pollution suffered by the protected area of the Aragon River in 2021. As a result of this event, the two companies are being investigated judicially. Recently, the court found that there could be signs of an environmental crime, allegedly committed by one of these companies.

For all these reasons, the Subai Erakuntza Foundation wishes to inform society that a new covert attempt is being made to expand the facilities of the Valle de Odieta de Caparroso. The Government of Navarre should not be an accomplice to activities and projects that threaten Navarre's natural heritage, ecosystems, public health and sustainable local livestock sector. From Subai Erakuntza, we appeal to make allegations about this project and to raise awareness and mobilise society in the face of the industrial livestock model and in favour of sustainable food sovereignty.

Jesús Arbizu Txurio and Martín Zelaia, members of the Subai Erakuntza Foundation