GEN-GOB Ibiza is calling for stronger safeguards for rural land, family farms and the natural environment as the Balearic Government’s draft Agricultural Law moves towards parliamentary consideration. The environmental organisation has joined GOB Mallorca and GOB Menorca in presenting proposals to regional Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment Minister Joan Simonet, warning that some measures in the draft could encourage property development and tourism uses in the countryside rather than prioritise agricultural production.

The meeting took place on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. The three organisations say the law should help farmers maintain economically viable businesses, but argue that this must not come at the expense of the islands’ rural landscapes, biodiversity or environmental protections.

Their proposals focus on keeping agricultural land productive, strengthening support for family-run farms, improving access to land for younger farmers and encouraging more sustainable food production.

Environmental Groups Call for Rural Land to Remain Agricultural

One of GEN-GOB’s main concerns is that the draft could consolidate residential, tourism and recreational uses of rural land, making it harder for agricultural businesses to compete with more profitable property and tourism activities.

The organisations argue that rural land is essential not only for producing food, but also for preserving biodiversity, maintaining traditional landscapes and supporting the long-term viability of farming communities.

They are calling for stronger guarantees against the expansion of buildings and uses unrelated to agricultural activity. One specific proposal is to prohibit the construction of new swimming pools on rural land. The groups argue that pools can contribute to the transformation of the countryside into residential areas while adding pressure to already limited water resources.

They also object to provisions they say could make it possible to convert certain agricultural buildings constructed up to 2015 into tourist accommodation, with an increase of up to 20% in building volume. In their view, allowing this type of development risks shifting land away from its primary agricultural purpose.

Concerns Over Planning Powers and Environmental Protection

The organisations have also questioned the draft law’s relationship with existing territorial and urban planning regulations across the Balearic Islands.

They argue that provisions requiring island-level and municipal planning rules to adapt to the new law could create conflicts with territorial plans already approved by island councils and local authorities.

The groups warn that this could weaken the ability of the Consell Insular d’Eivissa and other island administrations to determine how their own territories are managed.

Another issue concerns an additional provision covering certain agricultural buildings and installations built before the Balearic Islands’ 1991 law on natural areas and specially protected land came into force.

GEN-GOB and the other organisations fear that an exceptional procedure to incorporate these structures into planning frameworks could help regularise buildings that lack ordinary planning recognition. They are demanding strict safeguards, particularly in protected natural areas and places with high environmental or landscape value.

The organisations also question whether certain provisions would conflict with basic state environmental legislation. These are their legal concerns about the proposed text, not a judicial finding that the draft is unconstitutional.

Stronger Support for Family Farms and Young Farmers

The environmental groups say protecting the countryside must go hand in hand with making farming financially viable.

They want the new law to give greater priority to family farms and small and medium-sized professional agricultural holdings, including through criteria that favour these businesses when public assistance is allocated.

They are also calling for measures to make it easier for young people to enter the agricultural sector and ensure generational renewal. Rising land prices, they argue, are making it harder for farmers to acquire land and continue established agricultural businesses.

For the organisations, a stronger family-farming sector would help maintain rural communities, diversify food production, preserve agricultural knowledge and protect the traditional landscape.

Organic Farming and Local Food Procurement

Another priority is a stronger commitment to organic agriculture. The organisations want the law to recognise organic farming explicitly as a strategic part of the islands’ agricultural future and include practical measures to support the transition towards more sustainable production.

They say this approach can contribute to biodiversity conservation, healthier soils, less water pollution and reduced dependence on synthetic chemical products.

The groups also want public bodies to purchase more locally produced and organic food, particularly for school canteens, hospitals and other public institutions.

They argue that public procurement can help create stable demand for local producers while keeping more economic value within the islands’ agricultural sector.

A further proposal is to study the introduction of a basic income or transitional payment for farmers who continue agricultural production while undertaking environmental conservation commitments. The proposal is intended to recognise that farmers contribute not only to food production but also to landscape management, biodiversity conservation and the prevention of environmental degradation.

A Public Land Bank to Bring Abandoned Farms Back into Use

GEN-GOB and the other organisations welcome the draft’s inclusion of land banks, but say the initiative will need more than a legal provision to work effectively.

They are calling for sufficient staffing, management infrastructure and public funding so that abandoned agricultural land can be recovered and made available to new producers.

The groups want young farmers, family-run holdings and organic farming projects to receive priority in accessing land through this mechanism.

They argue that improving access to land is essential for generational renewal and for preventing agricultural activity from being gradually replaced by residential, tourism or recreational uses.

What Happens Next with the Agricultural Law?

The Balearic Government approved the draft Agricultural Law on 25 September 2026 before sending it to Parliament for the next stage of the legislative process. It is therefore a proposal under consideration, rather than a law already in force.

The Government says the draft is intended to improve the viability and profitability of farms, prioritise agricultural uses on rural land and allow complementary activities that generate additional income while keeping farming as the foundation of each operation. The proposal also introduces an agricultural condition for certain new rural homes and limits agro-stays to six places per farm.

The environmental organisations agree that the agricultural sector needs stronger economic support, but argue that the proposed approach does not provide sufficient protection against property development and the expansion of tourism-related uses.

The debate now centres on how the legislation can support farmers’ livelihoods while safeguarding rural land, environmental protections and the authority of island and municipal planning bodies.

For GEN-GOB, the objective is a law that makes agriculture viable without sacrificing the territory that sustains it. The organisation argues that protecting Ibiza’s countryside means keeping farmland productive, improving opportunities for future generations of farmers and ensuring that environmental conservation remains part of the sector’s long-term future.