At the installation ceremony of the 40th National Congress of Livestock Breeders, José Félix Lafaurie Rivera, executive president of the Colombian Federation of Livestock Breeders (Fedegán), He drew a critical diagnosis of the current state of the country and its impact on the livestock sector.
(Read more: Livestock asks for clear policies from the Government for sustainable development)
In a speech, he made an urgent call to the Government to address issues such as security, poverty and compliance with agrarian agreementswhile warning about the risks of social polarization.
Lafaurie stressed that, in the midst of the context of violence that the country is going through, the problem of poverty has been relegated. “Some turn poverty into a banner for promising populism and to fuel hatred among Colombians, while the bandits who claim to defend the poor justify their violence with it, make them poorer, harass them, steal their children for war and With them, they steal their hope”, he stated.
(Read also: ‘Livestock is not the great enemy of biodiversity’: Hacienda Las Carolinas)
The union leader stressed that ranchers have been recurrent victims of insecurity and violence, a situation that aggravates the social and economic challenges faced by the Colombian countryside.
One of the most prominent topics was the balance of the direct land purchase agreement between Fedegán and the Government.
According to Lafaurie, the results are worrying. As of November 21, 1,432 offers had been submitted for a total of 601,911 hectares, but only 48 properties had been acquired, totaling 14,260 hectares.
(See: Deforestation is an economically unsustainable situation for Colombia)
Cattle
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“We reject any attempt to take away legal guarantees in agrarian processes. We reject the accusation of feudal landowners and slave owners, and the veiled threat of peasant mobilization against the legitimate owners of the land.”, he expressed. In addition, he warned that, if necessary, ranchers will also mobilize peacefully to defend their rights.
(Read also: Sectors that shape the agricultural GDP are not within the interest of the Government)
The leader also criticized the Government’s intention to relax conditions for expropriation with compensation and the extinction of domain due to non-compliance with the ecological function of the land, measures that he described as risky for the stability of the sector.
Looking to the immediate future, Lafaurie expressed his concern about the announcements of peasant mobilizations encouraged by the Government, as well as the uncertain progress of the “Total Peace” policy.
“We are concerned about the little or no will we perceive in illegal armed groups to achieve peace. An eventual failure of Total Peace only has one other side: total violence. And the future of livestock depends on security.”, he noted.
(See: This is the strategic role that Latin America plays in sustainable livestock farming)
In his opinion, the country and the State are in a state of blindness towards the future of the countryside, a sector that he considers key to achieving peace and sustainable development. “Today, as twenty years ago, our conviction is unchangeable: peace in Colombia necessarily depends on the economic and social recovery of the countryside, as I have constantly pointed out in conversations with the ELN. There is no other way”, he emphasized.
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Crisis in dairy production
The union leader also warned about the difficult situation of 350,000 ranchers, lThe majority are small and medium-sized milk producers, who face serious challenges derived from structural distortions in the market.the impact of climate change and the decrease in consumption. These conditions have generated a drop in income and threaten to unleash a social crisis in the producing areas.
(Read more: Fedegán denounces illegal occupation of a farm in the department of Cesar)
“We are with them and we will continue to insist on the solution proposals that we present year after year, government after government, always listened to with interest, but always neglected.”, he expressed.
Lafaurie’s speech concluded with a reflection on the crucial role of the countryside in the country’s development. He urged the Government to redouble efforts to guarantee security, stability and effective support to the rural sector.
“Peace and development in Colombia are not possible without an economic and social recovery of the countryside. We cannot allow institutional blindness to lead us to failure”, he stated.
