Villalba acknowledged the efforts made by livestock farmers to adapt to animal health, environmental and welfare requirements, although she warned that the sector still faces challenges, including the profitability of farms and generational renewal. In this context, she called for livestock farming to be defended through a “positive narrative”, supported by scientific criteria and contributing to the profession’s dignity.
GENERATIONAL RENEWAL AND THE NEW CAP
Among the measures for the future, the senator highlighted the Spanish government’s proposal that at least 10% of the resources from the next CAP be allocated to generational renewal, above the 6% initially proposed by the European Commission. She also referred to the Livestock Farming Strategy approved by the European Commission last July, which seeks to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and resilience, reduce external dependencies and move towards greater European autonomy in proteins for animal feed.
Villalba also reviewed various financial support programs activated in recent years for farmers and livestock breeders, in addition to CAP-related aid. These included tax measures, assistance in response to rising production costs and aid for farms affected by wildfires. In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture awarded a total of 27.8 million euros to 9,679 farmers and livestock breeders affected by the major fires that summer.
MEASURES TO REDUCE BUREAUCRACY
The senator from Teruel also focused on the agreement reached in 2024 between the Ministry of Agriculture and farming organizations to address the sector’s demands. The document included 43 measures focused, among other areas, on simplifying the CAP, making certain obligations more flexible and facilitating access to financing. Ten of them were specifically related to livestock farming, in addition to other general measures that also affected the sector.
The changes mentioned by Villalba included greater flexibility in certain administrative and health obligations, as well as various actions aimed at reducing farms’ bureaucratic burden. The Socialist senator said that more work remains to be done and defended continuing dialogue with sector professionals, both in Spain and in the European Union, with the aim of ensuring “strong and resilient livestock farming in the long term”.
