During the 17th Malaga Goat Festival, held in Casabermeja, the delegate of the Andalusian Government in Malaga, Patricia Navarro, accompanied by the local mayor, Pedro Hernández, reaffirmed the regional administration's commitment to the provincial livestock industry.
Navarro pointed out that the province of Malaga is the main goat farming hub in Andalusia and one of the most significant in Spain, with 1,102 farms and a census of 171,000 head of livestock.
Malaga's milk production accounts for approximately 25% of Andalusian goat milk and 12% nationally, channeled into raw milk, cheese, and high-value derivative production. Meat, with Malaga's suckling kid goat as a benchmark, also contributes significantly, generating 42% of Spain's meat goat production.
Beyond its economic dynamism, goat farms are strategically important for population retention, forest fire prevention through brush control, landscape conservation, and erosion reduction in areas such as the Serranía de Ronda, Antequera, Axarquía, and the Montes de Málaga.
Regarding support measures, Navarro detailed extraordinary aid for storms, benefiting 1,101 Malaga farmers with 5.35 million euros, part of an Andalusian budget of 75 million for extensive livestock farming and beekeeping. The central government is urged to exempt this aid from taxation.
Additionally, direct aid of 19.5 million euros has been approved to mitigate losses from pests and diseases like Bluetongue or mildew. Of this amount, 10.275 million is allocated to the ovine and caprine sector, with nearly 1.06 million already paid to 206 beneficiaries in Malaga for Bluetongue.
In the 2025 campaign, Malaga farmers received 5 million euros in production-linked aid (4.4 million for ovine and caprine), plus 1.5 million euros for the extensive grazing eco-scheme, totaling 12.3 million euros in recent months.
Navarro also addressed the primary sector's challenges due to the negotiation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), calling for a more stable and secured budget framework. The new 2023-2027 framework has resulted in a 5% loss in direct aid for Malaga producers.
Furthermore, the rise in agricultural diesel prices, reaching 1.649 euros per liter in September (a 48% increase from the previous year), weakens farm results. The Andalusian government is requesting the extension of fuel subsidies to ensure the viability of these agricultural and livestock operations.
