Ana Juan and Josep Marí, president and councillor of rural affairs, respectively, of the Consell de Formentera, have met with Jerónima Bonafé and Xisca Parets, the respective president and managing director of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of the Balearic Islands (UCABAL). The meeting was also attended by members of the steering council representing all four of the Balearic Islands, including Marcos Ribas, president of the local agrarian cooperative (Cooperativa del Camp de Formentera).

President Juan thanked all those who travelled to Formentera for last night's gathering, where attendees discussed the situation of the sector and the expectations for the future.

For his part, Councillor Marí pledged to "help the primary sector to cope with the sharp rise in the cost of raw materials they work with, and facilitate the creation of needed agricultural infrastructure". In this sense, he pointed out that local decision makers agreed to modify the Plan for the Local Territory (Pla Territorial Insular, PTI) to facilitate construction of this type of infrastructure.

25 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

Today, Saturday 15 October, International Day of Rural Women, the Formentera Office of Rural Affairs presented a video tribute to the island's rural women.

Josep Marí, councillor of rural affairs, said this year's audiovisual document focused on "women of traditional rural spheres, but women who have entered these spheres more recently too; who now shape it and are part of its future".

The video can be seen on the social media accounts and YouTube channel of the Consell de Formentera. "This is the Consell de Formentera's way of showing we value the work that rural women have done, do and will continue to do", he concluded.

15 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The Formentera Office of Rural Affairs reports that Sunday 16 October marks the start of the island's small game hunting season. The season will come to an end 1 January 2023.

In general and unless specified otherwise, hunting days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and national or regional holidays. Local holidays are excluded. Hunting is allowed from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, except for limitations expressly set out in the proposed agreement.

Moreover, on local hunting grounds ("vedats"), migratory birds, thrush and pheasant can only be hunted until 5 February. Practitioners of traditional, "filats de freu" hunting have from 1 September to 31 October apply to practise this modaility. The hunting season begins 16 October and ends 5 February 2023.

Whilst hunting, hunters must carry mandatory documentation as required by Balearic legislation on river hunting and fishing (Law 6/2006), as amended by Law 3/2013, of 17 July, amending Law 6/2006 [12 April] and amended by Law 6/2007 on tax and economic-administrative measures [27 December].

A series of location-based bans exist, including hunting of any kind on islets and coastal cliffs. To combat damage to flora and fauna, hunting of rabbits and, as a population control measure, the common gull may be permitted. Hunting in other protected natural areas must comply with the provisions of the corresponding Natural Resource Use Plan (PORN), Use and Management Plan (PRUG) and legislation on conservation of environmentally significant natural areas (LECO, Law 5/2005).

Hunting must be done accordance with the limitations set out in current regulations for the 2022-2023 season (Ordre Vedes, BOIB 93 19/07/2022). More information is available on the Consell de Formentera website.

14 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera

The rural affairs division of the Consell de Formentera reminds islanders that local wine producers with vineyard rights have until 10 December to make their declaration concerning this year's grape harvest.

The declaration can be made between 9.00am and 2.00pm at the Formentera Office of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishing and Hunting (Conselleria d'Agricultura, Ramaderia, Pesca i Caça/CARPC; located in Centre Antoni Tur "Gabrielet"). From there, it will be sent to the Wine Registry of the Balearic Government.

Growers with less than 0.1 ha and those who make juice or consume grapes as fruit are exempt from making this declaration. Vineyard planting rights in Spain are regulated, and failure to declare harvests may result in a vineyard being declared abandoned.

10 October 2022
Communications Office
Consell de Formentera