This Friday, October 22, we will celebrate the Conference “The Green Deal and the Andalusian Agri-food sector” at the University of Almería, organized by the European Documentation Center of Almería in collaboration with the Vice-Rectorate for Research and Innovation, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock.
This event, which presents two round tables, is developed within the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which aims to encourage reflection and participation of citizens on priority issues for European policy in the coming years such as health, the rule of law, migration, digital transformation, education, and culture or climate change and the environment.
In his intervention, Diego Valera,vice-rector of Research and Innovation, stated that “we are currently at a very important time from the point of view of agricultural and environmental regulation and with new business opportunities for the entire agri-food sector. Thus, these conferences are important to disseminate all the new legislation on the European Green Deal, the “Farm to fork” strategy, and the Next Generation program.
Through this conference, the UAL joins the many events and debates organized by European, national, regional, and local institutions, which are currently being held throughout the territory of the European Union.
“We will have the participation of representatives of the various sectors involved, which will allow us to reflect on the challenges facing the agri-food sector, but also offers us the ideal opportunity to claim the voice of Andalusia and Almería in European policies,” explained Ana Fe Gil, director of the European Documentation Center of Almería.
The conference will feature speakers such as Andrés Góngora, president of COAG Almería and Adoración Blanque, Secretary-General of ASAJA Almería, as representatives of professional agricultural organizations; and entrepreneurs Antonio Domene, vice president of Kimitec Group, and Francisco Sáez, director of Business and Sales of Lorusso. Also participating as speakers: María Ángeles Benítez, representative of the European Commission in Spain; Amós García, Secretary-General of the Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries and the Andalusian Government, as well as researchers Juan Reca, Professor of Hydraulic Engineering and Amadeo Rodríguez, Professor of Analytical Chemistry.
For vice-chancellor Diego Valera, this event is essential “to highlight everything that is being done in the Andalusian agri-food sector and especially in the agri-food sector of Almeria”. This way, he explained that both the Andalusian region and the province have taken giant steps to follow the guidelines of the European Green Deal.
Some of the guidelines set by the European Green Deal are to achieve climate neutrality in 2050; reduce CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030; reduce the use of plant protection products by 50 percent and the use of chemical fertilizers, and increase organic production to 25 percent. “These are objectives that in other areas of Europe are perceived as opaque, but in Andalusia, in general, and in Almeria, in particular, are business opportunities.”
“Specifically, in Andalusia, we are already close to that certified organic area, we have achieved the 24 percent (the EU requires 25), and looking at the European and Spanish level, these are much lower. We have made a qualitative leap with the green revolution with the massive use of biological control, increasingly reducing the use of chemicals in agriculture, an area in which we are leading. There are new business models and very large companies participating in the conferences that are absolutely aligned with the production of biostimulants and biopesticides that do not use any chemical products and have zero residues. Besides, there is a conviction for the European Green Deal, for the positive environmental implications, and for the positive social implications”.
The vice-chancellor also pointed out that the sector has another important point in mind, namely sustainability. “The conviction itself is going to be a marketing tool for the Almeria agri-food sector, the good positioning it has with respect to sustainable agriculture based on producing more with less and respecting the environment”.
The results of the conference, to which all citizens are invited, as it will be held in person and broadcast in streaming, will be published on the European platform COFE (Conference on the Future of Europe) at the address: https://futureu.europa.eu/?locale=es. As well as on the website Andalucía por el Futuro de Europa (https://www.andaluciaporelfuturodeeuropa.eu), created by the Secretariat for External Action of the Junta de Andalucía. They will also be available on the YouTube channel of the European Documentation Center of Almeria.
In addition to the institutional support of the Junta de Andalucía, ASEMPAL, and the Chamber of Commerce of Almería, the conference has the support of more than 25 companies such as COEXPHAL, Grupo Caparrós, Koppert, Biorizón, etc., the OTRI (Office for the Transfer of Research Results), the School of Engineering and the Faculty of Economics of the UAL.
The closing of the conference will be attended by the Rector of the University of Almeria, Carmelo Rodriguez, and the Territorial Delegate of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Almeria, Aránzazu Martín Moya.
Dates
October 22, 2021 – 9:00h
Place
Paraninfo de la UAL – Almería
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