Spanish farmers

damental role in promoting business growth and the expansion of trade relations in the European market.

During the reception, the representative of the Chambers, Carmen Sanz, stressed the importance of collaboration between different countries to promote economic and business development and highlighted how, in times of complex circumstances such as the current ones, a collaboration between Spanish and European companies is particularly relevant and that is precisely what the European Chambers favour.

Warning of high temperatures

SPAIN’S Health Ministry issued an advisory, after forecasts made by the State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, predicted exceptionally high temperatures across the country, for this time of the year.

In view of this warning, the Ministry of Health issued a series of recommendations for dealing with the heat.

According to AEMET, temperatures during this week were predicted to reach up to 40ºC in some parts of the country.

Some of the tips are:

1. Drinking water frequently.

2. Avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol, or sugar.

3. Pay special attention to the elderly, babies, and children.

4. Prioritise being in cool places.

5. Avoid practising sports between midday and 5pm.

AEMET forecasts for the week state that “a very warm and dry air mass will enter over the Peninsula and the Balearic archipelago”, as per a news source.

As a result, Spain will experience a rise in temperatures to record “values typical of summer and exceptionally high for this time of year.”

AS well as low rainfall, Spanish farmers are also struggling to protect crops from a ‘plague’ of rabbits starved of fresh grass. As well as dealing with the exceptionally dry winter, farmers in Catalonia are facing a second problem, a plague of rabbits, who, starved of water, are beginning to destroy crops, especially wheat and barley, and eat the bark on vines and fruit trees.

Local Alex Foix said: “A lot of factors have contributed to the rabbit population explosion: there was the pandemic when no one could hunt for two years; they’ve become immune to myxomatosis; and the female can produce seven or eight offspring every two months.”

The local government has estimated that more than 250,000 rabbits need to be killed by September to contain the population. To aid in the effort to reduce the numbers, the government has permitted the use of aluminium phosphate, which releases toxic phosphine gas when introduced into burrows. “If it doesn’t rain in April and we have another year like last year, the vines won’t survive,” said Juan Samboda, a member of Pagesos o conills (Farmers or rabbits). In Catalonia as a whole, water reserves are down to about 26 per cent.