The Tavira Court ordered the immediate and permanent closure of the "Cerro do Meio" quarry, operated by the company Miner Blanc, Lda., in the Union of Parishes of Luz de Tavira and Santo Estêvão, in the same municipality. The decision was made following a special personality rights protection lawsuit filed by a group of residents who requested the total closure of the quarry's activities.
The quarrying operation had been suspended since 2013 and was resumed in 2025 by Miner Blanc. The resumption of activities was subject to several conditions, including watering the dirt roads, using only one jackhammer, and limited use of explosives only with prior authorization. According to the court, these requirements were not met, and it was not possible to reconcile the residents' right to rest with the company's right to private enterprise.
The court found that the quarrying activities seriously violated the residents' personality rights, specifically their rights to health, rest, and a healthy human living environment that is ecologically balanced. The ruling also ordered the company to pay 2,000 euros for each day of non-compliance. The court also found that vibrations and earth movements could damage a pipeline essential to the water supply in the Sotavento algarvio region.
Among the affected residents was José Macário Correia, former mayor of Tavira and Faro, who welcomed the decision with satisfaction. According to Macário Correia, 25 families lived in daily panic due to noise and dust, forced to keep windows closed and coping with high levels of dust in their homes, on trees, and outdoors. The resident also criticized the company's attitude, describing it as "deeply aggressive" and showing no respect for the courts or the people living in the area. The company was not contacted for comment.
