Mayors and populations of Aljustrel and Castro Verde, in the district of Beja, complain about the bad smell and "clouds" of flies caused by the deposition of sludges on agricultural land. This situation, which has occurred both this year and last year, has caused negative and unacceptable impacts on homes and tourist accommodation units in the region.
The Municipality of Castro Verde sent a formal complaint to the Coordination and Regional Development Commission of the Alentejo (CCDRA) in August, warning about the problems. The municipality of Aljustrel also submitted a similar complaint in July to the CCDRA and the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA). The mayors are calling for these situations to be monitored, highlighting the considerable inconvenience for those who live or own hotel units in the area.
The situation prompted the Minister of Environment, Maria da Graça Carvalho, to request information from APA and CCDRA about the actions taken. The minister checked the situation during a visit to Castro Verde on September 4th for the inauguration of the Castro Mineiro festival. The two entities have a deadline of 10 days to provide the requested information.
Joint inspection operations have already been carried out with the Nature and Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA) of the GNR in Almodôvar. Following the complaints, the CCDRA detected at one of the farms the use of two compound products registered in the National Register of Non-Harmonized Fertilizing Materials, with the possibility of alteration or modification of these products. The situation was reported to the Food and Economic Security Authority (ASAE).
