Valencian agriculture suffers losses of 26M € due to the uncontrolled growth of the wild fauna

The agricultural sector of the Valencian Community has suffered direct losses of about 26 million euros, caused by the exponential increase that in recent years have been experiencing wildlife populations. According to calculations made during a meeting held by officials of the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA-ASAJA), LA UNIÓ of Llauradors i Ramaders, the Federation of Agro-food Cooperatives of the Region of Valencia and the Hunting Federation of the Region of Valencia, the predatory action of wild species on crops and agricultural infrastructure has experienced an increase of at least 30% over the past year.

This alarming increase in damage to Valencian agriculture is due to the fact that there has been a doubling of the presence of some species of wild fauna which, in cases such as deer or deer, would almost have increased sevenfold between 2010 qnd 2015, according to data from the Department of Agriculture and Environment

As for the evolution of species such as wild boar, which together with the deer, roe deer, rabbit and mountain goat are the most damaging to the agricultural sector, the increase in its population in the last three years would be a 112% increase, while increases in the number of goats would be around 82% between 2010 and 2015, and in the roe deer that increase would be 9% in a single year, according to official numbers. All these data, as it has been mentioned in the course of that meeting, refer to the collected parts, which allows to deduce that in fact the increase of the wild fauna in the Comunitat Valencian have to be necessarily even greater than which indicate these figures.

The seriousness of the matter has motivated the holding of an urgent meeting of the leaders of the agrarian organizations and the Hunting Federation, in order to denounce the problem and to demand the implementation of a plan of shock

Thus, the representatives of AVA-ASAJA, LA UNIÓ of Llauradors, the Federation of Agro-alimentary Cooperatives and the Hunting Federation have agreed to set up a common front and request meetings with both the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Elena Cebrián, and with The Government delegate in the Region of Valencia, Juan Carlos Moragues, to demand, among other things, regulatory changes that facilitate the control of hunting species invasive crops and even economic aid to install control mechanisms as so-called electric shepherds ( Electrified fences) to compensate, even in part, for the growing losses suffered by farmers. Attendees of the meeting coincided in pointing out that what is at stake is to seek a balance and coexistence between wildlife and agrarian interests.

The main reasons for the increasing presence of wildlife are the abandonment of agricultural land, the increase of the forest mass, the reduction of hunters and the incidence of drought, which forces the animals to go down to the areas for water and sustenance

The damages caused by wild species such as wild boar, rabbit, deer, roe deer or mountain goats are as ruinous as they are widespread in all crops, since in a single night they are capable of destroying whole farms of vineyards, citrus, vegetables or fruit trees, as well as causing serious damage to woodland, drip irrigation facilities and various infrastructures. Wildlife also transmits diseases to the livestock hut and causes traffic accidents.

Source: AVA-ASAJA

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