Toxic water and a sickening stench: How pig-rearing has turned this Spanish town into ‘a dungheap’
Residents are too afraid to drink water from their local wells or open their windows for fear of the stench of nearby livestock operations.
In a legal first, Spanish citizens have launched court action against national and regional authorities over intensive pig-rearing.
The residents say the mismanagement of pollution from decades of industrial pig farming has made life in their community “unfeasible” – and is putting their health at risk.
It marks the first time a court in Europe will hear a case on the human rights impacts of intensive livestock operations on water sources.
Residents are too afraid to drink water from wells
There are hundreds of intensive pig and poultry farms in the A Limia region of Galicia that rely on what are seen as rubber-stamp approvals from the local authority in order to operate.
Both national and European law requires the authorities to protect the health and well-being of local residents. The claimants argue that legally, this principle should determine whether industrial agriculture facilities are approved.
However, living conditions in the area have become dire – making residents too afraid to drink water from their local wells or open their windows for fear of the stench of nearby livestock operations.
In some instances, municipal water supplies have also been polluted.
“We are so concerned about the pollution that even the idea of walking near the reservoir has become unfeasible,” says Pablo Álvarez Veloso, president of the local neighbourhood association and a claimant in the case.
“However, rather than warn our community of the true extent of pollution in the area, our local authorities are claiming the water is in ‘good condition’. Every year, they say children can swim and play in the reservoir without a warning in sight of how toxic the water may be.”
“Throughout the warmest months of the year, we’re too afraid to even open the windows to cool the house down – because that’s when the smell from the reservoir is at its very worst,” adds Mercedes Álvarez de León, another claimant in the case and local business owner.
As Friends of the Earth representative Blanca Ruibal, who is supporting the case, succinctly puts it, “[the town] has become a dungheap.”
Spanish residents take authorities to court over pig-rearing pollution
As repeated attempts to ask local and other authorities to address the pollution plaguing the area have failed, residents of the town of As Conchas are now taking legal action.
The group has filed a case with the High Court of Justice of Galicia for what they claim is a breach of national and European law.
They are supported by environmental charities ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth Spain. Among the claimants is consumer organisation CECU, representing the region of A Limia.
“We’ve tried many times to raise these issues with local government directly – but we believe we are not being listened to,” says Álvarez Veloso. “So we’re taking matters into our own hands – we’re going to court to protect our community.”
ADVERTISEMENTPig-rearing pollution could be putting residents at risk of cancer
An extremely high level of nitrates has been recorded at the local reservoir – which is a well-known risk factor for a number of cancers, including thyroid, breast, ovarian, stomach, pancreatic and bladder cancer.
Its presence has also been associated with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and methemoglobinemia – a potentially life-threatening disease originating in the blood.
In addition to nitrates, studies have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the reservoir, known to cause diseases that are very difficult (and in some cases impossible) to treat.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that these types of antibiotic-resistant superbugs rank as one of the top ten threats to humanity.
ADVERTISEMENTThe strong odour from these intensive facilities is the product, as the complaint claims, of fine particles in the air, which can cause both respiratory issues and asthma, particularly for young and elderly people.
“During the summer, the headaches I’ve had since 2012 only get worse and more frequent. I’ve gone to the doctor time and time again to figure out what’s causing it and they can’t seem to figure it out. I think it’s because of this pollution,” says Álvarez de León.
“It’s got so bad that there are days where I don’t even leave my house.”
New farms are still receiving permits despite health concerns
Even with the clear risks to public health laid out in the lawsuit, and the struggles As Conchas residents face daily, the local authorities continue to allow these industrial farms to operate as they are.
ADVERTISEMENTPermits are still being granted to new farms, despite the obligations the authorities have under the Spanish constitution, the European Convention on Human Rights and national and European environmental law.
“We believe the authorities are failing these residents – as despite knowing and seeing the real-time impact of industrial livestock rearing in the area, they continue to approve these sites again and again,” says ClientEarth lawyer Nieves Noval.
“This failure is unlawful – and it’s led to the situation our claimants have to live with day-in and day-out. Unchecked pollution has put their health at risk, and compromised their water, the air they breathe and the soil they grow their own food in.”
Galicia’s regional authorities have said they are working with local councils and the pig-rearing industry to find solutions – and added that the national government should also be involved.
ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement emailed to Reuters, Galicia officials said they are “working on a circular economy project for sustainable livestock farming that involves transforming waste into resources”.
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