Aragon village approves four pig mega-farms despite undrinkable water

The group Stop Ganadería Industrial has denounced that the town council of Codo, a municipality in Zaragoza with 204 residents, declared four pig mega-farms of public interest, which it estimates would consume 100.6 million liters of water annually, while the town's water has been deemed undrinkable since 2023. The declaration was approved on September 4 in an extraordinary plenary session, according to the organization, which criticized that residents were not informed beforehand. The installations, promoted by Explotaciones Ganaderas Estiche, a subsidiary of the Cincaporc group, include two fattening farms with 6,000 and 7,200 animals and two piglet production units with 864 livestock units each, three of which are at the maximum limit allowed on rustic land. The projects would generate 64.2 million liters of slurry per year, and the organization warned that nitrogen emissions could exceed the land's absorption capacity. The organization has requested documentation justifying the decision without receiving a response, and has called on the council to reconsider due to potential impacts on water, aquifers, odors, and residents' quality of life. A resident cited by the group said locals have been unable to drink tap water for three years.