The case opens the door for local residents and environmental organizations to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.
The lawsuit concerned serious environmental pollution caused by large-scale pig farming in the Galicia region. For years, manure and wastewater from a pig farm flowed into the reservoir at As Conchas. As a result, the reservoir became so polluted that the water was unsuitable for drinking, swimming, and agricultural irrigation.
The court ruled that the regional government's failure to intervene amounted to a violation of fundamental rights. The government is obliged to protect public health and the environment. According to the judges, that duty was ignored for years.
The ruling now requires the regional authorities to carry out a large-scale cleanup of the area and to provide structural protection for local residents against further harm.
The case was brought by residents near Lake As Conchas in the province of Ourense, together with an environmental organization. They were able to demonstrate that the nuisance was directly linked to the industrial manure processing at a nearby slaughterhouse. The court found that the authorities had ignored signals for years, despite warnings from both residents and experts.
The verdict serves as a precedent. Because the judgment is based on the European Convention on Human Rights, similar complaints can now also be brought before the European Court. This gives the legal battle against the impact of intensive livestock farming in Spain and other European countries a new dimension.
Within the European Union, Spain is the largest producer of pork. The country accounts for roughly a quarter of the total EU production. The pig industry is concentrated in a limited number of regions and plays a significant economic role. At the same time, societal criticism of the ecological damage and health risks is growing.
In various regions, scientific reports have already been published about the damage to soil and groundwater. In some places, the pollution is so severe that short-term recovery is no longer possible. Nitrates and ammonia from manure storage and discharge especially cause lasting harm to drinking water sources and ecosystems. Some soils have been declared unusable for decades.
The ruling now forces action. Local governments are obligated to clean the polluted water and prevent new contamination. This creates, for the first time, a legal lever to enforce structural changes in industrial livestock farming.