ARCHIVED - Mar Menor: Backing for proposal to increase nitrate free strip to 1500 metres

The agricultural sector has presented its own list of amendments to the draft bill for the comprehensive protection of the Mar Menor

During the last 24 hours two news stories relating to the ongoing issues of the Mar Menor have been featured by Spanish language regional TV, radio and the printed press, relating to the draft bill for the comprehensive protection of the Mar Menor, which is currently being prepared.

The first element relates to the group of agriculturalists representing the largest and most important group of agricultural farmers, known as the Irrigation Community of the Campo de Cartagena, which includes many of the agricultural concerns currently being investigated for alleged criminal activity in regards to the illegal drilling and extraction of water from the natural water aquifer which is below the Campo de Cartagena and subsequent desalination of the water for use in large-scale agriculture (Caso Topillo).

All parties have the opportunity to present amendments to the draft bill and the Irrigation community representing these farmers has presented a package of 24 amendments to the bill on behalf of their members to the five parliamentary groups represented in the Regional Assembly.

The 24 points made are basically a denial that agriculture has played any part in the deterioration of the lagoon.

As is only to be expected, given their own position in relation to the agricultural practices in which they are involved, they have requested various amendments which are quite frankly unlikely to prosper:

One of the main points made in their document claims that the preamble of the bill focuses on the origin of the deterioration of the Mar Menor "mainly" in irrigated agriculture, but "minimizes" the pressures and impacts that other activities have had on the lagoon, including tourism, industry and urban planning, so in other words, too much blame is being attributed to the agricultural sector and not enough to the other elements which have contributed to the deterioration of the lagoon; “ in the coastal strip, regardless of its width, agricultural activity is not the main one, since the occupation is dominated by residential urbanization, nautical, leisure and tourism activities, services, and natural and riparian wetlands ”, they say.

They also request removal of the proposal to prohibit the application of fertilizers, manures or green fertilizers on land within a strip of 500 meters from the interior limit of the Mar Menor shoreline. They say that “in practice, the prohibition of all types of fertilizers, manures or green manure is a limitation that prevents the development of professional agricultural activity in this area “, reiterating their opposition to this important proposal.

They are also unhappy about text within the bill alleging that their activity of drilling illegal wells and dumping the brackish saltwater back into the underground aquifer has contributed to a deterioration in the quality of water in the underground aquifer, which is now believed to be itself contaminated with nitrates leaching through the soil. The text they want removed states.”After the 1995 drought, the start-up of groundwater drilling plants started the proccess of discharging brines with high concentrations of nutrients . These residues ended up in the drainage network and in the quaternary aquifer”.
The irrigators say that the extraction of subterranean water provides a "zero nitrate balance" on the Mar Menor.

They also demand that the article in the bill stipulating that the soil be restored to its natural or rain-fed state be abolished, as returning the ground to its original condition would generate "a greater number of runoffs, more erosion and dragging of sediments and residues." (Last week the regional government instituted further orders for parcels to be restored to their original condition as part of the criminal proceedings against the agricultural sector.)


Ciudadanos backs 1500 metre nitrate -free strip around the Mar Menor

One of the key points within the draft bill that has caused a great deal of political debate and argument relates to one of the points mentioned above, namely the proposal to prohibit the use of fertilisers in agricultural activity within a 500 meter fringe surrounding the lagoon.

The PP proposed a fringe of 500 metres as being sufficient, and in December the
PP and Ciudadanos regional coalition government approved the text which included a margin of 500 meters.

The PSOE had wanted the distance amending to 1500 metres.

However, two weeks later, Ciudadanos had a change of heart and instead of allowing the draft to be validated and passed in law, it instead blocked the passage of the bill and proposed that it be open up to further amendment, which is the process currently being undertaken.

On Tuesday the spokesman for Ciudadanos in the Regional Assembly, Juan José Molina, has said that the decision of the party has now been taken and Ciudadanos will back the proposal to expand the fertilizer-free strip around the Mar Menor from 500 to 1,500 meters.

“All the experts consulted agree that in order to avoid contamination by nutrients of agricultural origin, the application of all types of fertilizers, manure or green manure must be prohibited in a strip of about 1,500 meters, allowing only woody and sustainable agriculture with manure and organic amendments using the techniques and amounts specified in the code of good agricultural practices, " he said.
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"The technical criteria for preserving our lagoon must prevail, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is very clear about it."

However, the party is also keen to avoid direct confrontation with the agricultural sector and says in its statement that "agriculture is perfectly compatible with the Mar Menor if we abide by these limitations and good practices."

The party went on to say in its statement that "it is time to be brave," stating that Ciudadanos "will initiate a round of contacts with the different political parties in order to reach maximum consensus on this important matter." "We will move away from the tension, the shouting and the insults, we will sit down, we will dialogue and we will seek consensus with diligence."

Background information about this complex topic can be found by clicking here

Image: Canal Mar Menor

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