Pedro Sánchez's government has dealt a new blow to the primary sector by blocking €700 million in agricultural aid., a decision that further aggravates the critical situation faced by farmers and ranchers throughout Spain, and especially in Andalusia. The Socialist government has used its veto power in the Senate to prevent the processing of the Agricultural Taxation Law promoted by the Popular Party, which included a package of urgent measures to alleviate the fiscal and economic pressure that is strangling the countryside.
The government's veto is justified by an alleged budget gap of nearly 650 million euros., a figure that contrasts with the more than 97 taxes and contributions that Sánchez himself has raised since taking office. While billions are allocated to other purposes, the government is denying farmers and ranchers agricultural aid that could have been a lifeline for a sector in free fall.
The Sánchez government is turning its back on the countryside at its worst moment.
Far from meeting the demands of a sector that has been asking for help for years, Pedro Sánchez has once again demonstrated his lack of commitment to the Spanish and Andalusian countryside.Agriculture and livestock farming face an unsustainable situation, with continuously rising production costs, unfair competition from products from third countries, and bureaucratic demands that hamper any attempt at survival.
Nonetheless, The government has not only ignored these demands, but has vetoed aid to the countryside worth 700 million euros., a proposal that would have directly benefited 800.000 agricultural workers, rescuing them, in the words of the PP, "from the fiscal hell" to which the Socialist government has condemned them.
The PP denounces the government's disdain for the agricultural sector
The PP spokesperson in the Senate, Alicia García, has described the Sánchez Government's veto as "a direct attack on the Spanish countryside", Noting that Pedro Sánchez's government has opted to further suffocate farmers and ranchers, while boasting of social sensitivity in other areas.García noted that agricultural income has only increased by 2018% since 11,2, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has grown by 20,6%. Furthermore, The sector has lost 118.000 jobs since the fourth quarter of 2021., according to the Active Population Survey.
The number of farms continues to decline y The generational change in the Andalusian countryside is practically broken, according to the sector's own professionals. The Popular Party maintains that The lack of aid to the countryside and the fiscal punishment to which the agricultural sector is subjected by the Sánchez government seriously threaten the future of agriculture and livestock in Spain., especially in Andalusia.
Measures that would have saved the sector, vetoed without debate
The PP's Agricultural Taxation Law included a set of proposals that would have provided an immediate respite for the countryside, but the Sánchez government has prevented even its debate. Among the vetoed measures was the extension of the income threshold to qualify for the special tax regime for farmers and ranchers, which would increase from 250.000 to 325.000 euros, and raising the expenditure threshold from 150.000 to 250.000 euros to facilitate the objective estimation method in personal income tax.
These aids to the field, together with an upward revision of the compensation percentages for input and output VAT, would strengthen the special reimbursement regime for the sector during the years 2025 and 2026. With this, Farmers and foresters would receive a 13,5% refund compared to the current 12%, and livestock farmers would receive a 12% refund compared to the current 10,5%..
Sánchez halts modernization and sustainability in the countryside
Another measure blocked by the Executive is 100% VAT deduction on excess investment in machinery or operating means over the last three years, which would have encouraged the modernization and competitiveness of farms. This would have allowed farmers and ranchers bet on more efficient and sustainable technologies, facilitating their adaptation to climate and market challenges.
In addition, the PP proposed greater flexibility in calculating farm turnover thresholds y the 25% deduction on agricultural insurance contributions, essential for protection against adverse events. None of these initiatives will be possible after the Socialist veto, a decision that the PP considers incomprehensible and deeply unfair.
The Andalusian countryside, abandoned by the central government
In Andalucia, The countryside is experiencing one of its worst crises in decades. Professionals denounce the lack of support from the Sánchez Government, while other communities receive preferential treatment in the distribution of funds. The Andalusian Government of Juanma Moreno has reiterated that cannot compensate for the absence of a state policy to support the countryside, although it will not stop promoting its own measures to try to alleviate the effects of the crisis.
The Andalusian countryside is an essential economic engine, but it is also a guarantor of territorial cohesion and the maintenance of population in rural areas. However, The central government's abandonment worsens the rural exodus and the deterioration of the productive fabric in many regions..
The Andalusian government continues to support the countryside in the face of Sánchez's abandonment.
While the Sánchez Government continues to turn its back on the countryside, The Government of Andalusia has strengthened its commitment to the primary sectorAmong the measures adopted by Juanma Moreno's Executive are: Farm modernization programs, support for young farmers and ranchers, the drive for agricultural digitalization, and aid to improve access to irrigation water..
The Andalusian government's commitment contrasts with the disdain of Sánchez's administration., which with its veto has repealed agricultural aid that would have been essential to ensuring the future of the agricultural sector, not only in Andalusia, but throughout Spain.
