Spain's Castilla‑La Mancha farmers protest new agricultural and water policies

The Union of Small Farmers and Ranchers (UPA) warned that Agriculture Minister Luis Planas’s claim that the Family Farming Law is unnecessary contradicts the government’s pledged commitment and could undermine a key PSOE electoral promise. UPA urged all political forces to back the law, stressing its importance for generational renewal, water access, land tenure and financing for family farms.

Separately, UPA Castilla‑La Mancha secretary‑general Julián Morcillo denounced the region’s draft hydrological plan as an unprecedented attack on territorial balance and economic sustainability. The proposal to cut irrigation in the Guadiana basin would affect 340,000 hectares, potentially reducing regional production value by €213 million a year, cutting net margins by €82 million and causing €1.5 billion in asset loss for farmers. Similar cuts are projected for the Júcar and Segura basins, with Morcillo calling them “economic and social attacks” and urging unified action to protect rural livelihoods.