These are the trending news headlines in Spain on Tuesday March 28, 2023

Spanish firefighters have made progress in containing the country’s first major fire of the year, which has ravaged 3,800 hectares of mainly forest since Thursday. Over 500 firefighters backed by 20 water-dropping aircraft battled the blaze on Monday near Villanueva de Viver, local officials said. The fire broke out near the eastern village, where unseasonably warm temperatures neared 30 degrees Celsius. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the blaze proved “the climate emergency exists”. Spain is experiencing long-term drought after three years of below-average rainfall. Climate change amplifies droughts that create ideal conditions for wildfires to spread out-of-control and inflict unprecedented material and environmental damage.

Spain is quickly emerging as a leader in foodtech innovation, with over 400 foodtech startups operating in the country and attracting increasing support from incubators and corporates. While the country has long been known as a major contributor to the global food economy, it has only recently become recognized for its potential in technology-based agrifood transformation. Spain's ideal testing ground for initiatives around soil improvement, water management, controlled environment agriculture, and robotics, along with its strong co-packing industry, has attracted international investors and corporates, leading to a 9.3% increase in foodtech investment in 2022. Collaboration among key players in the agrifoodtech ecosystem has been a crucial factor in accelerating the growth and development of disruptive technologies. With public and private entities creating new and innovative solutions to address various challenges in the sector and increasing government support, the Spanish foodtech ecosystem is poised for incredible growth and is on the brink of a revolution.

The Spanish government has implemented stricter regulations on ship-to-ship oil transfers off its shores after an increase in activity in the area. Oil tankers will now need authorization from the closest Spanish port captaincy to carry out these operations, even outside territorial waters. Additionally, boats servicing these tankers loaded with crude oil or other chemicals will also need specific authorization. This move comes after the Group of Seven nations imposed a price cap on Russian oil and the European Union banned the import of Russian crude and oil products, leading to more ship-to-ship operations. However, these transfers have become a safety concern, with Spanish authorities intercepting several oil tankers suspected of spilling oil into the Mediterranean near Barcelona and the Canary Islands.

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