SAI Platform Doñana Berry Project
1st July 2021
Response to the EU Court of Justice Ruling
On 24 June 2021, the EU Court of Justice issued a historic judgment against Spain for the destruction of Doñana Natural Area, in part due to the intensive growing of berries in the area. The judgment followed a complaint filed to the EU Commission by WWF-Spain.
From 2014 to 2020, SAI Platform led a project with members to improve water management in berry production in the areas surrounding the Doñana wetlands. The project engaged with hundreds of growers and technicians in the region, creating tools to address water concerns and provided proof of concept for technical solutions at field level.
The Doñana Berry Sustainability Project left a strong legacy in the region, including:
- A water management toolkit freely available for members and other companies to use with growers to improve water use in berry production.
- A framework to help production and sourcing companies ensure legal land and water use, according to land use planning in the area (Plan de la Corona Forestal).
- Ongoing engagement with WWF-Spain to support advocacy for further government interventions in the region.
- Local implementation partners (NIAB EMR and Optiriego Consulting) with expertise in water management and farmer engagement.
We encourage companies sourcing from the Doñana region of Spain to work with their growers to ensure legality of water and land use and implement good agricultural practices for water management for sustainable production.
Clearly more work is needed, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Doñana wetlands and berry production in the region.
For more information about the Doñana Berry Project, please contact info@saiplatform.org
