Por Pablo Arranz 
The municipal plenary approves the motion presented by the popular group, thus reiterating the unconditional support of the government team for the primary sector
«When they hit the country, they attack us all. Lorca plays its future and we will not stand idly by. We will fight to the end with our farmers and breeders, as we have always done»
Lorca, May 26, 2025. The Mayor of Lorca, Fulgencio Gil Jódar, announced this morning in the Municipal Plenary of the Month of May the motion presented by the Popular Group in Defense of the Terjura Transfer, which includes unconditional support for the primary sector resources of the transfer, the request to the Government of Spain so that it cuts the transitable volume of the headwaters of the Tajo, a revision of the ecological flows with scientific criteria, and the requirement of a socio-economic and environmental impact assessment before any regulatory modification.
Mayor Lorca, Fulgencio Gil, conveyed «the firm and unwavering support of this government team for the primary sector, farmers, breeders, and irrigators, in the face of the direct attack by the Pedro Sánchez executive on the main source of wealth and employment»; he also conveyed the rejection of the plenary of the motion presented in this line by the Socialist municipal group, because «this type of defense is precisely against their party at the national level».
«The repercussion for Lorca of the Axhazo that the government of Pedro Sánchez will give to the Tajo-Sagura transfer will imply a serious decrease, comparable to the social and economic impact that different cities in Spain suffered through the industrial reconversion process in the 1980s.»
«The history of Lorca and its region is marked by the struggle for water. We carry it in our DNA. We are agriculture and we are animals. Without the transfer, this land cannot go further. When the country is hit, we are all attacked. Lorca plays its future and we will not remain idle.»
Among other things, the motion exposes the serious effects that the entry into force of Royal Decree 35/2023 will have; in addition to denouncing the imposition of ecological flows without a rigorous technical basis or the participation of secure users, which could mean a loss of up to 100 cubic hectometers per year for irrigation by 2027.
The transfer is an essential infrastructure for the south of Spain. It generates over 3,000 million euros in the national GDP, sustains over 106,000 direct jobs, and ensures the supply of drinking water to three million people. Furthermore, its role in the fight against climate change is undeniable: it is estimated that transfer water crops eliminate over 1.2 million tons of CO₂ per year.
While the overall capacity of peninsular reservoirs exceeds 75% of their average capacity, the safe basin reaches 30%. Specifically, the headwater reservoirs exceed 1,600 hm³, and the peninsular reservoirs reach historical fill levels.
The popular group’s motivation includes:
1. Unconditional support for the primary sector against the reduction of transfer resources.
2. Application to the Government of Spain not to cut the transviable water volumes, given the good state of the Tagus headwaters.
3. Review of ecological flows with scientific criteria and user participation.
4. Recovery of a true national water policy based on territorial cohesion.
5. Request for a mandatory socio-economic and environmental impact assessment before any regulatory modification.
6. Rejection of institutional discrediting of irrigation in the South-East of Spain and a request for measures to support the agricultural sector.
7. Referral of the agreements to the Government of Spain.
Points 1, 2, 3, and 5 were approved with 24 votes in favor (PP+VOX+PSOE) and 1 abstention (IU). Additionally, points 4, 6 were approved and an additional amendment presented by VOX with 15 votes in favor (PP+VOX), 9 against (PSOE), and 1 abstention (IU).