100,000 Spanish olive trees to be felled for solar farm
Regional government Junta de Andalucia has deployed a 1954 Franco-era law to turn hundreds of hectares into huge solar farms – leading to serious losses for around 100 local farmers
Energy company Greenalia is preparing to turn 900 hectares into solar farms, largely affecting the Jaen municipalities of Lopera, Arjona and Marmolejo.
Currently, around 5,000 olive trees have been ripped out of the ground so far, sources told The Telegraph.
In retaliation, farmers are demonstrating against the axe being taken to hundreds of thousands of the trees.
Olive farmer Juan Campos, 67, from Jaen, said:
“We have no support from the politicians of the Andalucian government, nor from the agricultural unions; they have never contacted us, nor have the environmentalists. Where are the environmentalists?
They are allowing entire communities to become impoverished because these companies do not bring jobs; they bring misery to the villages.”
He explained that he had preciously hoped to hand down his farm to his children but is now being forced into retirement and his children will move.
He added that his family “won’t make it to the end of the month”, accusing the energy companies of robbing them of their livelihood.
Many farmers are concerned that the energy created by the project will fail to benefit their own country and will be exported to other states instead.
The Anduíjar Court of First Instance and Investigation has launched a probe into the ongoing situation.
Landowner Rafael Alcala claimed that the scenario amounted to “extortion”, saying:
“Either you sell or they expropriate. If expropriation happens, it will always be on less favourable terms.
It will affect not only the economy of those impacted but also the stores in the village and the region. If today we can buy five loaves of bread, tomorrow it will only be two.”
Olive trees – as evergreens – are much more environmentally beneficial than other trees, as they are particularly resilient against changing conditions.
The 1954 law is allowing the project to run ahead quickly, giving little time to farmers to put up a fight against officials since such legislation in the region provides less scrutiny and accelerates project completion.
Greenalia said allegations about its activity in Andalucia are “false” and “fuelled by political opposition not by technical, legal and/or real data that is required in these types of renewable energy development projects”.
Andalucia is responsible for producing a third of the nation’s much-loved olive oil – and 10 per cent of the oil used in the rest of the world.
See more here gbnews.com
Header image: Andalucia.org
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Tom
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More proof that government is totally useless.
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Aaron
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yup I don’t get why people still believe government is needed, have people not seen enough of what govt really is about?
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DouweH
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Money talks. I wonder how many brown paper bags got handed over under the table ??
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