Agriculture Minister to be heard in Parliament on crisis in Douro and Foz Côa kennel

Maurício Marques, president of the Agriculture and Sea Committee, said that the parliamentary hearing was approved today, in this committee, following requests presented by different parties.

The parliamentary groups of the PS and PCP presented requests to hear José Manuel Fernandes on the situation of Douro winemaking, after producers from the Douro Demarcated Region demonstrated on Wednesday, in Peso da Régua, district of Vila Real.

Winemakers have warned of the crisis in the region, the growing difficulties in transporting grapes and selling them at increasingly lower prices, while production costs are rising.

The PS wants to know what measures are planned for the Douro Demarcated Region, while the PCP asks for clarification on the difficulties and needs of winegrowers, the role that can be assumed by Casa do Douro and what measures are planned by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea.

On Wednesday, the day of the demonstration, the ministry guaranteed that it is preparing structural solutions to “ensure the economic, social and environmental sustainability” of the Douro Demarcated Region, which will be aimed “especially at small producers”.

Also today, the Agriculture and Sea Committee approved the requests from PAN and Chega for a hearing with the Minister of Agriculture following the closure of the Foz Côa municipal kennel, due to alleged animal abuse.

Seventy dogs were rescued by the GNR from the municipal kennel of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, in the district of Guarda, following an investigation into mistreatment of companion animals carried out by the Investigation Unit for Environmental Crimes and Offences (NICCOA) of the GNR, in collaboration with the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF)

At the time, the ICNF revealed that there was an ongoing process at the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) related to the rescue of the animals.

PAN also wants to hear from the Mayor of Vila Nova de Foz Côa, João Paulo Sousa, for the same reasons, and Chega wants to hear from the President of the ICNF Board of Directors and the Director General of the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary Affairs (DGAV).

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