The Council Accuses Sánchez of 'Destroying Agriculture' in Alicante and Criticises Tajo River Flow Restrictions

The Minister of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries, Miguel Barrachina, has accused the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, of 'destroying agriculture' in the province of Alicante and has criticised the 'restrictions' on the ecological flows of the Tajo River.

Barrachina expressed this view on Wednesday in a statement, following confirmation from the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, that the central government will 'strictly' comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling requiring the immediate implementation of ecological flows in the Tajo River, thus discarding the progressive timetable that envisaged its phased introduction until 2027.

In this regard, Barrachina stated that Sánchez 'will go down in history, beyond the daily scandals affecting his family and his party, as the president who destroyed agriculture in the province of Alicante'.

Furthermore, he criticised that the central government, 'instead of seeking dialogue and agreement, opts to impose restrictions unilaterally, harming both the present and future of the agricultural sector in the Valencian Community'.

The minister argued that these decisions 'are purely political and lack technical support, especially when the Tajo's headwaters currently show historic levels of stored water reserves'.

Therefore, he denounced what he considers a 'real outrage' by Sánchez's government, reproaching it for choosing a strategy of 'restrictions and confrontation', instead of seeking 'consensual agreements that ensure a fair and balanced distribution of water'.

Barrachina pointed out that the Valencian Government, along with the Region of Murcia and the Junta of Andalusia, have requested an urgent meeting with the central government, as well as 'maximum transparency' regarding the modification of the Tajo-Segura transfer rules and lamented that, for now, they are still 'awaiting a response'.

Additionally, the minister added that those who 'sold desalination plants as the alternative to the transfer now admit that they will not have the necessary infrastructure ready in time'. 'This means leaving farmers without water and condemning Europe's orchard to become a desert,' he asserted.