Noviercas is a small village of 158 inhabitants in Northeast Spain. It is located in the province of Soria, inside a region known as the “Spanish Siberia” because of the low population density, less than 8 people per square kilometer.

This village became famous when the co-op Valle del Odieta announced last year their intentions to build a 20,000-cow factory farm in the village.

Macro dairy farm of Valle de Odieta SCL in Caparroso- Greenpeace Spain

With 23,520 cows (16,128 dairy cows and 7,329 suckler cows), 900 hectares of land, a consumption of 600,000 kilos of fodder and four to six million liters of water every day – not to mention a planned production 180 million liters of milk peryear – the Norviercas factory farm would be the biggest dairy farm in Europe, and the project immediately became controversial for all the potential impacts it could bring to the area and to the farming sector.

Farmers are leading the opposition, as they estimate this factory farm would destroy 700 direct jobs, one third of the dairy farms in the region.

t would produce around 368,000 tons of manure per year, the equivalent of the waste produced by a city of 4.4 million people.

And the farm would consume between 4 and 6.35 million liters of water per day, more than the total consumption of the city of Soria (40,000 inhabitants). Impacts on the environment and local communities can be huge.

This farm has nothing to do with the European model of livestock farming.
We have witnessed fierce resistance to previous dairy mega factory farms with 8,000 thousand cows in the UK or even actions of civil disobedience against a 1,000-cow farm in France.

We cannot allow this model, imported from the US, to come to Europe.
Impacts of these huge factory farms are well documented and are reason enough to ask for a ban.

Stopping this farm would be a really symbolic step against the invasion of factory farms in Europe to defend a sustainable and social model of farming.
You can read more about it here in English, Spanish and French.

We will campaign with our allies to stop this project. Stay tuned!

https://www.foodandwatereurope.org/blogs/a-20000-cow-dairy-farm-in-europe-no-way/

PETA has started a petition against the construction of the Mega Stall.
Please sign and share

“Help stop plans for a new mega dairy in Spain that would be the largest farm in Europe and the fifth largest in the world.
If the plans go ahead, 23,000 cows will be kept in filthy, cramped conditions so that the owners can maximize their profits.
Can you imagine – 23,000 cows?
That’s more than the human capacity of London’s O2 arena!

Mega farms like the proposed one exploit animals on a scale that is almost unimaginable” (PETA)

Petition: https://secure.peta.org.uk/page/99582/action/

And I mean…One has to think about that slowly: 20 000 Cows on one Farm in North Spain, plus their calfs, as without calves no Milk!
50% of the calves are male, so useless for the further milking business.

All these Cattle have to be feeded, feeded more as usual as they are producers in the process of milk production.
So where will they get all the Power Feed from?
Corn and soy beans? What about the Carbon footprint?

And what about the immense suck of energy, as these cows live and produce best at about 7 dregrees Celsius?
They would have to cool them down constantly with water – another Problem, a lot of water will be spoiled, like at the farm in Saudi Arabia…

Subject to the outstanding approvals, the project is to be implemented in several growth stages over the next five years, i.e. by the end of 2022.
The Farmers Union: described a dairy farm of this size as a “time bomb” for animal health.

A single case of a disease like bovine brucellosis in the herd would require 20,000 animals to be culled. The compensation would amount to more than 16 million euros; Four times more than the annual animal health budget allocated by the regional government.

Although the sale of milk plummeted after the onset of the Corona virus and millions of healthy cattle were euthanized due to the closure of slaughterhouses, pointless investments are still being made in XXL stables!
In order to take action against the investment project, the farmers’ association has started a signature campaign.

But not everyone in Noviercas is against the system.
Some have sold their land to Valle De Odieta.
And politicians are also behind the project.

The mayor, stand up for the farm.
Presenting the 2019 project, Pedro Jesús Millán Pascual said “the dairy farm would bring jobs and more people to the town”.

But not a word is heard about the fate and suffering that awaits the 23,000 animals

My best regards to all, Venus