Government finalizes legal framework for cannabis cultivation

The Government is finalizing legal details for a modification to the Agriculture and Livestock Law, which aims to facilitate new agricultural projects, including medicinal cannabis cultivation. A key component of this proposal is the creation of a collective representation body to act as a legal vehicle for farmers and ranchers to communicate with the Executive regarding initiatives of general interest.

To establish this body, it must represent more than 65% of active agricultural holdings registered in the Agricultural Holdings Registry and be part of a national association with at least 10 years of history, such as the Association of Farmers and Livestock Breeders (APRA). Companies linked to this representative body will receive higher scores when bidding for licenses to develop new activities.

The reform also introduces the 'Grup Agrícola o Ramader d’Explotació en Comú' (Garec), a cooperative-style structure designed to boost productivity and generational renewal. A Garec can consist of between two and five agricultural holdings that formalize their partnership through a contract, pooling resources such as land, machinery, or livestock.