Agriculture and Livestock in Spain: Regional Variations and EU Policy
Livestock Farming in Spain
Livestock plays a significant role in specific regions of Spain:
- In the dry lands of Castile and the Ebro basin, sheep farming predominates. Cattle raised in feedlots for milk production are common in areas near urban centers and modern irrigation systems, as are pigs.
- In Extremadura, the characteristic landscape is the dehesa, a type of agroforestry system, which extends into Salamanca and Zamora. This is a defining pasture.
Forestry in Spain
Logging is characteristic of some areas, such as the Soria Pinariega region and the area of Cuéllar. Cork and wood exploitation are also significant.
Mediterranean Agricultural Landscape
This includes the Mediterranean coastline, the Guadalquivir Valley, and the Balearic Islands. The physical environment of this area features a hilly terrain near the coast, some mountainous areas, and a pre-littoral-coastal Mediterranean climate, with very little rainfall in summer.
- The agrarian structure is characterized by a large population, traditionally dispersed. Land is generally very divided in irrigated areas. In upland areas, properties are small and medium-sized in Valencia and Murcia, medium-sized in Catalonia, and large in western Andalusia.
Land uses are diverse.
Agricultural Practices
Agriculture shows a clear differentiation between irrigated and rainfed crops. Irrigated crops are favored by mild temperatures, high insolation, the protective nature of the relief, the existence of suitable soils, and significant international demand from those with high purchasing power. These crops include early outdoor gardening, horticulture under plastic, and Mediterranean fruit-growing, including tropical fruits in the Andalusian basins of Malaga and Granada. Dryland crops are found in the plains of the Guadalquivir Valley and in most mountainous or hilly pre-littoral areas. Cereals, grapes, olives, and almonds are dominant.
Cattle and swine are the majority in Catalonia, thanks to urban demand. Sheep and goats are characteristic of drylands, and fighting bulls are raised along the banks of the Guadalquivir.
Agricultural Policy as a Tool of Transformation
Historical Agricultural Policy
Agricultural policy from the mid-nineteenth century until the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) focused on the system of land ownership, the inadequate size of land holdings, and trade protectionism.
- The system of land ownership was addressed through the disentailment policy of the nineteenth century, the land reform of the Second Republic, and the policy of colonization and expansion of irrigation under Franco.
- The inadequate size of land holdings was addressed through land consolidation and farm legislation.
- Land consolidation, begun in 1952, continues today and, since 1985, has been transferred to the autonomous communities. It aims to reduce the number of smallholdings and improve access to roads. As a result, fewer, larger, and more regular plots have emerged, reducing the number of edges and creating a new network of roads. However, it has primarily affected rainfed monoculture areas rather than the smallholders of the North or Eastern regions.
- The law affects large farms that were previously uncultivated. It requires owners to provide an improvement plan.
- Trade protectionism involved establishing tariffs on agricultural products from abroad to avoid competition with domestic products.
The EU’s Agricultural Policy (CAP)
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has shaped Spanish agricultural policy since Spain’s entry into the EU. Its consequences have been varied:
- Spain joined the EU internal market, with Common Market Organizations for the most representative products and the setting of maximum and minimum prices for each.
- Trade with the EU was liberalized, and Spain adopted the principle of Community preference and a common external tariff for products from third countries.
- To take advantage of this situation, Spain has had to make a great effort to modernize and improve productivity, quality, and competitiveness. It has benefited from the contribution of European structural funds to improve infrastructure, equipment, and the skills of farmers.
- Spain has been affected by problems within the farming community and the measures taken in recent CAP reforms to combat them. These include:
- High commodity prices in relation to the world market.
- The existence of surplus farm produce.
- Deterioration of the environment due to increased production and the use of chemicals.
- The depopulation of rural areas.