The Minister of Agriculture said this Saturday that the Government will act in accordance with the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) of the mine planned for Montalegre, where this Saturday the population demonstrated against the exploitation of lithium.
At the same time that Minister Maria do Céu Antunes visited the 32nd edition of the Montalegre Smokehouse Fairin the district of Vila Real, opponents of mining exploration walked the streets of the town to demonstrate that the fight against the mine continues.
Protesters affirm that the mine “is incompatible” with Barroso’s Agricultural Heritagea distinction awarded in 2018, and the region may receive the distinction if exploration progresses.
Questioned about the concerns of the population, Maria do Céu Antunes said that the Government will act in accordance with the result of the EIA of the Romano mine, whose public consultation ended in May with 511 participations presented on the “Participate” portal.
There is an EIA that is being done and, therefore, what the Government is going to do is wait for this environmental study to conclude to proceed accordingly,” he said.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food recalled, however, that this is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action.
“But clearly what the government wants to do is wait and, once this technical work is finished, we take the best measures that serve the populations”, he added.
Regarding the compatibility of the mine with the World Agricultural Heritage, the minister said that the “EIA will show what the ability to actually do this jobeither at the level of exploration or prospecting”.
“So at this point, all we can say is speculative. We will really wait for the results of the technical work that is being done, ”he stressed.
The EIA of the lithium mine, which Lusorecursos Portugal Lithium wants to explore in the Morgade area, contemplates mixed exploration, open pit and underground, as well as the construction of a refinery to transform the mineral. The mine is locally contested and therefore this Saturday the citizens took to the streets again to demonstrate that the “fight continues”.
Inside the exhibition pavilion, where the event takes place, the minister wanted to highlight the success of the Feira do Fumeiro de Montalegre, where this Saturday it was “very dynamic”, “the stands are practically empty” and “people from everywhere”. the country”.
This shows that there is great vitality in this region of the country, from an agricultural and processing point of view, and also shows a great appreciation of consumers for local products. And that is the work that the municipality does and does it well, ”he stressed.
The event, which takes place from Thursday and ends on Sunday, had around 40 tons of smoked meat for sale.
Finally, when asked about the appointment of the next Secretary of State, after the controversial departure of Carla Alves, who was in office for one day, Maria do Céu Antunes simply replied: “We are going to do it calmly, with consideration, to that we can have the person who has the profile and meets the requirements to be able to give Portuguese farmers what a Secretary of State is expected to do”.
Source: Observadora
