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A major environmental investigation in Murcia has revealed serious pollution once again coming from several large pig farms and washing into the area’s watercourses.

 

The Guardia Civil’s environmental division, Seprona, has been looking into illegal dumping of livestock waste into nearby streams and ravines. The case, dubbed Operation Poga, has now led to four farm managers being formally investigated for environmental crimes.

 

The farms in question are all located in the municipality of Murcia. According to the Guardia Civil, these facilities were found to be discharging pig waste directly into natural watercourses including the Ramblas del Carmen and Cuesta Alta.

 

One of the companies involved owns more than 13,500 pigs, so the amount of faeces being dumped could have proved catastrophic if this careless practice wasn’t stopped.

 

It’s for this very reason that the Region of Murcia essentially banned the expansion of these macro-farms at the beginning of last year. It was hoped that the 'NitraSegura' strategy would curb nitrate contamination and preserve the Region’s fragile water resources.

 

Over the last few months, Seprona has carried out several inspections which uncovered a long list of environmental violations. They found that construction had taken place in protected ravines without observing required buffer zones and that up to ten waste ponds used for storing pig slurry had never been properly sealed.

 

This means that large quantities of liquid waste have been slowly leaking into the ground for months or even years.

 

According to environmental experts, this kind of contamination poses a serious risk to the local aquifer. If heavy rainfall hits the area, which is common during sudden Mediterranean storms like the ones we’ve already experienced this summer, the situation could get worse very quickly. Flooding can cause contaminated runoff to seep deeper and faster into the soil, spreading pollution far beyond the farm boundaries.

 

The Region of Murcia central government backed up the findings in a formal report and confirmed the damage to the natural reserve. This paved the way for the Guardia Civil to move forward with formal charges against the four farm managers.

 

If found guilty, they could face prison sentences of up to two years, as well as hefty fines and bans from working in the farming industry for a period of time. Spain’s Penal Code considers this kind of illegal dumping a serious crime against the environment.

 

In the Region of Murcia, 20 municipalities host at least one large-scale pig farm. Lorca leads the list, with 40 macro-farms dedicated to fattening pigs and 10 for breeding sows.

 

Image: Guardia Civil