Fuerteventura forum calls for stronger EU support for local food producers
Officials and producers met in Fuerteventura on 4 November. They called for protected EU funding and an extra €167.64 million a year for the Canary Islands’ POSEI programme.
Canary Islands officials and producers called for more EU funding for farming, livestock and fishing. They met at a forum in Fuerteventura on 4 November 2026, ahead of talks on the EU’s 2028–2034 budget.
La Provincia organised the meeting with funding from the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC). The forum explored the future of farming, livestock and fishing on the islands. A key question was whether EU support would stay separate and cover producers’ extra costs.
Calls to protect POSEI funding
Canary Islands agriculture minister Narvay Quintero said the regional government had worked with producers and other outermost regions for almost three years. Their aim was to protect POSEI as a separate programme. He said it needed enough funding and must stay independent of future national plans.
He said funding had not been adjusted for rising production costs for almost 20 years. He argued that support must rise to keep farms in business and protect the islands’ ability to produce food.
Deputy minister Eduardo García Cabello called for an extra €167.64 million a year for POSEI. This would cover the extra costs faced by Canary Islands producers. He also called for separate funding for the outermost regions. This was a funding request, not an announced award.
Fuerteventura Cabildo president Lola García also called for dedicated EU aid to continue. She stressed the extra costs faced by farming and livestock businesses on the island. These included the effects of double insularity: being an island within an island group.
Producers set out their priorities
Esteban Alberto Pérez spoke at a round-table discussion as general manager of Quesos Maxorata Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura. He urged all parts of the sector to unite in defence of POSEI. He warned that losing the payments would put local production at risk. It would also make the islands more reliant on food from elsewhere.
Lorenzo Brito Castro, president of the regional federation of fishermen’s associations, called for a dedicated EU funding scheme for fishing. He said the industry’s ability to attract a new generation depended on whether it could make a profit.
Other speakers said a wider range of products and activities could help keep businesses viable, alongside EU rural development funding. Florencio Daniel Acosta Fernández, administrator at Vidaloe, also highlighted the scope for links between local production and tourism.