Valladolid (EFE).- The Government of Castilla y León has assumed this Thursday, in view of the controversy generated by its attempt to make control measures for bovine tuberculosis more flexible, that “the priority is always public health” and complying with the law, although it has ratified its intention to seek alternatives to livestock sanitation with the sector with respect to the European and state standards.
This was stated this Thursday, at the press conference after the Governing Council, by the spokesman for the Board, Carlos Fernández Carriedo (PP), who, when asked about the words yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Gerardo Dueñas ( Vox), in the sense that public health has been “exaggerated” with respect to livestock and that it could mean his dismissal, has said that this is a “competence of the president and he will not exercise it today.”
With the European Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture against the Order of the Ministry -already without effect- for understanding that it posed a danger to animal health and public health, in addition to failing to comply with community regulations, the spokesman for the Board has It has been argued that this regional norm has not caused damage to the livestock sector of the Community, while the Ministerial Order has done so, which has maintained until today the prohibition of moving cattle from provinces affected by this animal infection.
Asked about the way in which they plan to legislate to seek that flexibility against which the community institutions and the Ministry have ruled, which the Superior Court of Justice of Castilla y León agreed with, Carriedo has indicated that they are going to “respect the European regulations”, but he has not seen it incompatible with “trying to reach an agreement” with the livestock sector.
Condemns the assault on Salamanca
After several days in which unions and veterinary professionals have demanded a condemnation by the Board of the attempted assault of the administrative headquarters in Salamanca by a group of farmers, the spokesperson has condemned these events: “We deplore any act that may involve violence, these events in Salamanca are absolutely deplorable and unfortunate, and to the extent that it is decided to act for breaching security regulations, it is the appropriate approach”. “We absolutely condemn them,” he has settled.
Asked if they consider appearing as a private prosecution, Carriedo has indicated that he does not know if there is any judicial proceeding initiated, but has indicated that the powers over public order and security do not correspond to the Board, but to the central government.
Lastly, when asked if he had a few words for the veterinarians who have denounced the Board’s neglect in recent weeks, the spokesman said that “public employees always have the support of the Board in their work and in complying with the regulations entrusted to them.”
Mañueco guarantees support measures for the countryside
The president of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco (PP), has assured that the Government that he heads will work in all areas to try to improve the difficult situation that the rural sector is going through and will do so within the limits that establishes national and community legislation.
Mañueco, who has participated this morning in the IX Family Business Congress held in Valbuena de Duero, has thus responded to the possibility of adopting measures that include making cattle controls more flexible to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.
“We are going to work to improve the situation of the field and we are going to do it hand in hand with the sector. It’s crucial. Within community and national legislation ”, she underlined.
Gallardo says there will be no turning back
The vice president of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan García-Gallardo (Vox), has affirmed this Thursday that the Spanish and European Union (EU) regulations on the control and prevention of bovine tuberculosis are going “in the wrong direction ” and has stated that they will not “go back” in their defense of the relaxation of the regulations, although within the law.
The vice-president of the Board, Juan García-Gallardo (d) during a press conference at the headquarters of the European Parliament. EFE/ Leo Rodriguez
“We are going to continue defending this resolution where necessary: in Madrid, in Brussels and also in the courts. We have not backed down and we are not going to back down in our intention to make the regulations more flexible within the current margins that the law allows us, ”he declared during a press conference at the Brussels headquarters of the European Parliament.
Tudanca talks about irresponsibility
For his part, the general secretary of the PSOE in Castilla y León, Luis Tudanca, has accused the president of the Board, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, of “cowardly and irresponsible” for trying to relax livestock sanitation controls in the Community, something that has put “everyone at risk”.
This was confirmed by the socialist after holding a meeting with the Executive of the PSCYL that has validated the candidacies for the Congress and Senate for 23J, and where Tudanca has lamented that, “again”, PP and Vox have turned Castilla y León into “national shame” EFE