the ranchers of Tenerife showed a “positive” assessment of the free rates of the Insular Slaughterhousein force since the beginning of the year, during a meeting with the president of the Cabildo, Peter Martinat the headquarters of the Agate Association, in The lagoon. Martín showed his “commitment” to the native and traditional breeds of the Island, recalled the promotion of measures to guarantee the generational renewal of the sector and valued the contribution of 6.7 million euros in aid to feed animals during the four years of the mandate.
Pedro Martín attended the meeting as a socialist candidate for re-election. Sources from the groups with which he met emphasized this: “We expected an appointment of a marked electoral nature, a classic photograph of these days, but we talked about everything that worries us for no less than three intense hours.” They even asked the president the need to hold these appointments more frequently during his term.
The meeting was attended by representatives of all the entities that share headquarters at Carretera General del Norte, 60, in the neighborhood of San Lázaro (La Laguna). That is, the National Association of Tenerife Goat Breeders (Acricati); the Tenerife Livestock Drag Federation; the Canarian Association of Trawling, Fomento y Crianza del Ganas Basto and Nacional de Criadores de Vacuno Selecto de la Raza Canaria (ACA) and the Cooperativa del Campo La Candelaria and the Association of Cattlemen of Tenerife (Agate). The Island Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, was also present.
Farmers point out thatFree Slaughterhouse fees directly benefit, above all, pig producersbut also indirectly, because the aid comes via marketing and that is positive for farmers because it improves the price of meat in the country.
we have to improve
There was also time for criticism: «We have lost some annual subsidies, because there have been problems in the transition from technical to administrative service and they did not arrive on time. There we have requested that the general process be improved. The president stated that they are focusing their efforts on “streamlining bureaucracy and ensuring that aid arrives on time, when it is needed.”
Pedro Martín appreciated other initiatives: «We must open new lines of work to achieve the most important thing right now: that there is a generational change and that young people are willing to bet on livestock as a professional opportunity ».
The president recalled the 6.7 million euros that the Cabildo allocated this mandate to aid for livestock feed. The investment in 2021 was 1.4 million, the same amount as in 2022. In 2023 it is 2.5 million.
“With the livestock sector, and with the primary sector as a whole, the Cabildo has expanded the help linesin general,” he said.
Aid for livestock feed “was promoted by the PSOE de Tenerife from the Cabildo in 2020, as a result of the covid-19”, valued the president of the Corporation. He added that “this is the fourth consecutive year in which they have been called, increasing the budget by 1.1 million to try to alleviate, as far as possible, the aggravated economic situation of the livestock sector, as a consequence of the energy crisis, the increase in the price of feed and the impact of the war after the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
Pedro Martín explained: “This year 2023 the budget of the primary sector is even greater than that of tourism, because it is strategic in Tenerife.” It amounts to a total of 35.4 million and increases by 33.6% compared to 2022.
Among the problems faced by livestock in Tenerife are the changes in consumption habits and the need to technify the industry. “We must work to balance the decline in dairy products in cheese factories, necessary for production,” said the candidate, for whom “the objective is to stabilize the market.” There he mentioned the promotion of aid lines to support the sector, through joint work with the administration, key to boosting its economy.
Among the subsidy lines authorized during this mandate, those destined to artisan cheese factories (200,000 euros), complementary feeding of bees (140,000), the support of traditional breeds (60,000), livestock associations (48,900), the promotion of professional beekeeping (50,000), rabbit and swine insemination (210,000) and maintenance of the Island Slaughterhouse (1.9 million). In addition, the Island Government Council will approve today the bases and the call to support the Livestock Health Defense Groups of the Island with 100,000 euros.
