Òscar Ordeig: "If consumers valued our farmers' products more, we'd have half the problems."

BarcelonaThe inauguration of Salvador Illa's new government last August placed Òscar Ordeig at the head of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food of the Generalitat (Catalan Government). Almost a year later, and therefore just weeks before celebrating his first anniversary in office, the minister is hosting ARA in the Parliament to take stock and also to discuss both long-term policies and the most recent events of recent months, such as the fires and Brussels' recent proposal to cut funding for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

You've been a minister for a year. What's your assessment?

— One of the main challenges we had, and I think we've more or less achieved it, was to place food policy at the heart of the Generalitat's policies and at the heart of citizens' concerns and opportunities. We want Catalonia to be recognized for its food excellence, and therefore, we see that today, a country looking to the future must be very clear about its food system. This means working for people's health and sustainability. It's the leading sector of the economy and, therefore, a driver of rural development. It's a factor of tradition, culture, and history. We will never be a benchmark in arms policy; our best weapon is the food system, and people come from all over the world to learn about it. We have everything we need to succeed: we achieved record exports last year, and in the first quarter, agrifood exports to Europe fell by 8%, while in Catalonia they rose by 6%.

What should the Government focus on?

— The main challenge is to engage all citizens with this whole narrative I've explained to you. And the main challenge, now that we have it recently on the table, is to maintain financial capacity with the new CAP and to avoid adverse regulations for agri-food activity, from Brussels, but also from the administrations. The great challenge is to facilitate, help, accompany, incentivize, recognize, and value the work of farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and also the food industry.

The European Commission's proposal for the coming years is to reduce PEC funds.

— We are clear about where we must go in the coming years, and that means investing in automation, irrigation, stone-repellent nets, and the entire value chain. Therefore, the announcement of CAP cuts is terrible news, and we will do everything in our power to prevent this from happening. We will analyze the Commission's proposal and make a proposal to mobilize sectoral support from agricultural organizations, the business sector, institutions, political parties, different regions, and different countries. The second pillar [of the EU], which is rural development policies, must not be lost, and we must go to Brussels with clear ideas, an alternative, and, above all, with support. We have already done this with fisheries.

A few days ago, we saw fires on agricultural land, not forest land. This is another effect of climate change. What should the Generalitat and the rural community do to prevent them?

— First, we must stand by the people affected. Fires are extinguished in winter, with a cohesive territory that feels like a leader in territorial policies. Annual forest growth. How will we do this? With priority protection perimeters.

It's often said that one of the problems is that many forests are privately owned. Is that true?

— We have a complex landscape, and ownership is highly fragmented. We don't have large forest owners; we have many small private owners, and in the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees, there are more public forests. In any case, the problem isn't that; it's that timber currently lacks the economic value that would incentivize this industry. What we've done this time is take a comprehensive look at the state of the forests and act at all levels. We're trying to avoid radicalism or maximalist positions.

A common complaint from farmers is also low prices. Why do farmers get paid so little compared to the rest of Europe?

— Catalonia has a small agricultural area, much smaller than many European countries, and a wide variety of production. What we must strive for is a position of excellence. We must promote producer organizations that bring together processing projects, which allow for the generation of added value, and at the same time, we must look at how to improve the food supply chain law. The sector generates €67 billion in revenue and achieves record exports every year, but we must ensure that this prosperity is distributed equitably and reaches all elements of the value chain, especially the weakest, like the farmer. And we must be clear: we must state what we expect from the distribution chains and the restaurant industry. We are all interested in fishermen and farmers doing well, ensuring generational growth, and enabling them to make investments.

Society seems to be changing its perception of intensive livestock farming due to animal welfare issues, environmental concerns, and the business model with low wages. What should Catalonia do with this sector?

— We are exporters of technology and knowledge, and livestock farming occupies a very important space. The food sector encompasses intensive livestock farming, but also extensive livestock farming, and above all, we must not lose sight of the balance. Extensive livestock farming is strategic, but we won't be able to meet all the country's and the world's food needs without intensive farming. Food needs compete in different markets, and what we must do is make it more sustainable every day, and this can be achieved with technology. A kilo of meat here is produced in a much more sustainable way than a kilo of meat produced I don't know where with I don't know what environmental standards.

The peasantry voices criticisms that have more to do with the country's model, such as the airport expansion or the Ametller agricultural park. Perhaps the peasantry doesn't understand why so many large-scale projects are being promoted?

— The problem facing farmers isn't the airport. The government's challenge is to develop a project that inspires the future and not to put us at one extreme or the other. We know what agriculture needs in the coming years to be competitive. Administrative simplification, the necessary investments, and planning are necessary. That's why we have the food strategy, the food law, the modernization of the Urgell canal, the irrigation plan, the extensive livestock plan, and the olive oil plan. We need to define what we will do with a view to the coming years. We will do this with exports, local consumption, and education. I would also say that if consumers go to the municipal market, they value our farmers' products more, we would have half the problems. A call for collective responsibility and commitment to our products is necessary.