Good news about stopping intensive livestock farms comes from the Balearic Islands. The Spanish government has approved a decree-law that specifically regulates poultry farms (chickens, turkeys and ducks) by imposing a maximum limit of 160,000 animals per facility.

The numbers of the reform

The maximum number of livestock may vary depending on the location of the farm:

  • farms located less than 2 km from population centers can accommodate a maximum of 20,000 birds;
  • farms located between 2 and 4 km from the urban area may have a maximum of 40,000 livestock;
  • farms between 4 and 6 km from the city will have a limit of 80,000 animals.

The case of Sineu

According to the councillor for Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment of Balearic Islands, Joan Simonet, this restriction became necessary especially after the social alarm of the planned chicken macro-farm one kilometer from Sineu, which planned to house 739,000 chickens.

Simonet also stressed that, as has been the case so far, any project involving more than 40,000 animals will have to obtain an environmental assessment.

The purpose of the decree law of Balearic Islands

The objectives of the regulation of poultry farms are, according to the government, “to promote local production, to ensure animal welfare and the quality of agricultural and food products, to ensure environmental quality by minimizing environmental risks from economic activity, and to maintain the quality of life of populations near high-density intensive farms.”

Thus, the rule is probably aimed more at protecting urban centers of Balearic Islands and its inhabitants than protecting animals. The decision, in any case, goes in the right direction, which is to drastically reduce the presence of intensive livestock farms.

Background: the case of Berkeley

Toward the end of last year, a landmark decision was made by the city Berkeley (California). After a popular referendum, “Measure DD,” a measure banning both the construction and maintenance of intensive livestock farms, was passed.

Berkeley became, therefore, the first U.S. city to ban Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The strong symbolic value can serve as an example for the rest of the world.