Lorraine Williamson
In the quiet mountain village of Carboneras de Guadazaón, Cuenca, residents are bracing for the arrival of yet another industrial-scale pig farm. If the project moves forward, this community of barely 800 people would find itself hosting nearly 2,000 more pigs—lifting the ratio to a staggering 24 pigs for every resident.
Local campaigners from Pueblos Vivos Cuenca, a citizens’ network formed in 2017 with support from Ecologistas en Acción, say the expansion highlights a deeper crisis in Castilla-La Mancha’s countryside: unchecked industrial farming, groundwater contamination, and a rural exodus that megafarms are meant to prevent but may in fact accelerate.
Skirting the rules
The company behind the proposal, Ficaporc SL, has applied to build a facility for 1,995 pigs. That´s just five short of the 2,000 threshold that would automatically trigger a full environmental impact review. Activists accuse the firm of deliberately exploiting this loophole, pointing to a local precedent: one farm approved at 1,992 pigs in 2014 now houses nearly 7,000.
By opting for a simplified permit process, projects move forward faster and with lighter scrutiny. Critics argue this leaves rural communities with little defence against pollution, odour, and excessive water use.
Water under threat
Carboneras de Guadazaón has already had to switch its drinking water supply after nitrate levels made the original source unsafe. The proposed farm is expected to consume almost five million litres of water a year and generate more than four million litres of liquid manure—most of which would be spread across farmland.
Ministry of Health guidelines set 50 mg/l as the safety limit for nitrates in drinking water. Official testing in 2022 and 2024 recorded levels at 43 mg/l and 35 mg/l respectively, while volunteer-run networks in the area have reported sources already exceeding the legal maximum.
Pigs outnumbering people
Four pig megafarms already operate in Carboneras, home to more than 17,000 animals. Within a five-kilometre stretch that includes neighbouring Reíllo and Pajarón, the herd swells to 28,500. The new project would push that total above 34,000.
Campaigners say such density has “structural consequences” for air quality, soil health, and groundwater reserves. The region, prone to drought, is already under stress from competing demands on its aquifers.
Economic limits of megafarming
Supporters of large-scale farming argue that economies of scale make Spain’s pork sector one of the most competitive in Europe, with Cuenca’s projects feeding into global export markets. But this dependence is also a weakness.
China, once a major buyer, has imposed a 20% tariff on fresh and frozen EU pork, denting Spanish sales abroad. Rising costs for feed, energy, and transport add further pressure, making the economic model less secure than it appears.
Rural depopulation paradox
The promise of jobs and investment is often cited by backers of intensive livestock farming. Yet studies by Ecologistas en Acción suggest the opposite: villages dominated by megafarms are more likely to lose inhabitants than those without. Limited employment opportunities, persistent odours, and the decline of rural tourism may all accelerate depopulation.
Demands for action
Pueblos Vivos Cuenca is calling on the regional government to force a full environmental review of the new project, arguing that cumulative pollution risks warrant stricter controls. The group also wants the area to be designated as “vulnerable to nitrate contamination,” a legal status that would oblige authorities to tighten oversight and safeguard drinking water.
For locals, the debate is no longer just about pigs. It is about the survival of their water, their land, and the viability of life in rural Cuenca.
Sources: PeriodicoCLM, Voces de Cuenca, El Diario