Isolina Raña, the woman who leads the dairy industry in Spain: "A strike in one sector cannot collapse society"

At 48 years old,

stretches the hours of the day to deal not only with the ownership of a dairy cattle farm in Xesteda, a village of 337 inhabitants in the province of La Coruña, but also to act as a partner of Dairy Cooperatives Nations -CLUN-, among many other responsibilities.

After 20 years of experience in the dairy sector, he has come to hold managerial positions of responsibility, such as on the Board of Directors of the Galician industry Feiraco Lácteos, always committed to the social economy and the active participation of members in cooperatives, and the

Thus, she participated in the founding of the group 'Mulleres de Seu' of Clun (United Dairy Cooperatives) and is a founding member and vice-president of the Federation of Spanish Livestock Farmers 'Somos Tierra'.

Farming in his DNA

With a two-generation family livestock tradition, she knows first-hand the entire process of the production chain, from the origin of the milk (she herself is in charge

on his medium-sized farm, of about 25 hectares, which produces about 500,000 liters a year) to his own commercialization in the direction of agricultural cooperatives: "They were born as a model for rural development, because in places where no one was willing to invest alone the union of the ranchers could make economic and social improvement possible, and thus rural society could be transformed, with the improvement of the farms, the training that allowed the incorporation of controls and the application of new techniques, playing a fundamental role in the markets but also when it comes to contributing to the population's roots in the countryside", he highlights.

In Spain, he gives the example of cooperatives such as CLUN and its brands Feiraco, Clesa and Unicla, Central Lechera Asturiana or Covap.

From sunrise to sunset

From her life experience, she recalls that

and has a lot to do with a way of life in permanent contact with nature, so when I finished my studies it coincided that my father was retiring and I doubted it. Starting from scratch a cattle ranch that becomes competitive is very difficult, investments are continuous and high and profitability is low."

In this sense, he recalls that "dairy farming is

when work is done in the stable, and the rest of the day is spent working in the fields or preparation".

The work -she specifies- is supported by the support of the family unit (she has a son).

he laments, due to the lack of a rural population.

"We are working, from the Federation of Spanish Livestock Farmers, with some innovative programs that facilitate the incorporation of employed workers, but with many problems, such as the fact that farms are located in places far from transport and accommodation services."

He is also an agripooler

In parallel, this Galician woman works as an agripooler, that is, she carries out

such as facilitating governance workshops, exchange tours of the livestock sector or participation in specialized methods on land linked to forage and farm management.

For this work, she received the award for the best agripooler in 2019: "We share with agricultural organizations and cooperatives in America, in countries still in rural development, our knowledge, production techniques and our 'know-how'. I participate in tours of training and I take care of the collaboration of organisations, directors and technicians with the cooperation project. They in turn -we emphasize- enrich us with their vision of agricultural activity. It is

for both parties".

As

'Agriculture Development Cooperation Agency', she actively participates in the revitalization of the agri-food cooperative sector both in Spain and in Latin America, in addition to generating collaboration alliances between the agri-food cooperative sector of Galicia and the university and regional institutions.

The field in a feminine version

For her, it is essential "the presence of women in decision-making bodies, as directors and directors of agricultural and livestock cooperatives and other organizations and agricultural companies, which is increasing. It is logical", she points out, "because

as does our training and empowerment. We have been working for some time to make that happen".

For this reason, she considers that her intense work activity "is as compatible as that of another working woman in the city, in general we double our working time by adding home time to professional time. The only

that is what more difficult for us".

From the Federation of Spanish Livestock Farmers 'Somos Tierra' contributes "to female leadership in the field, to the sustainability of the agricultural world, combining development in the field of services, digitization, energy transition, animal welfare, circular economy , etc., to the

She is clear that

although she clarifies that "women are already in the agricultural and livestock world. Without them there would be no families, no children or the elderly living in the villages. The best fight against depopulation is for women to join the countryside even more, in the forefront of activity. In the Clun cooperative we are already many, grouped in 'Mulleres de Seu'".

A problem that comes from afar

In any case, Isolina Raña recalls that when Spain joined the European Union "we were still a country with a great weight in rural areas and with a great fragmentation of activity, at least in the north of Spain".

So, he argues, a

began in which, for example, Galicia went from more than 100,000 dairy farms to 6,000, "and that entails a decrease in the population, aging and a decrease in services in the countryside".

Thus, he insists that this model was possible thanks to the resources of the CAP, the common agricultural policy, because the problem was similar throughout Europe: "Production was discouraged, milk quotas were imposed, all of this led to a general abandonment of production, and those of us who persevere, invest, train, incorporate production techniques remain... Now,

but the social and economic structures have almost disappeared, with abandoned villages and lack of of services".

The importance of milk

The price crisis in the countryside depends, he assures, on determining factors, such as dependence on animal feed, cereal imports, or the marketing of dairy surpluses from other countries, which penalize us:

and we are still suffering the consequences. On the other hand, the value of milk in food has changed, it has been used as a claim product and its price has been trivialized. Now, with the truckers' strike, we see its importance, it is the first thing we acquire as a food reserve"

Regarding agricultural profitability, he considers that "we are in an open market, where prices cannot be imposed or arranged, so we must

livestock production and feeding, bearing in mind that Galician farms they are among the most efficient in Europe. It is also possible that industries, distribution and consumers change our point of view, although it is a slow task. Food autonomy is necessary, and for that we must value what depends on us".

Caring for the environment

The field, and specifically livestock, has been in the spotlight in recent times.

In his opinion, "environmental and climate pollution problems do not depend to a great extent on agriculture, but on industry and the massive use of automobiles, heating, travel, etc. The modern world pollutes, but that does not mean that we do not have to improve all of them, including agricultural and livestock production,

to manage waste as raw materials".

In any case, he considers that there is no smear campaign against Spanish production, but "sectors that want to influence public decisions and a multiplicity of communication channels that amplify everything.

the pandemic has once again made it clear, and the best way to respect the environment is to consume what we produce in our environment".

carriers' strike

In the midst of the war in Ukraine, which has had repercussions on the "insane" costs of energy and raw materials for general food, in addition to the "uncertainty" that an armed conflict like this one creates, the strike in road transport in these two recent weeks "it affects us enormously because

Although his cooperative is operating "as normal, as it did during the pandemic", he does acknowledge that other fellow ranchers are having difficulties, so

so that we can transport the products that will necessarily be lost if they are not transported .

to the factories or to the market".

Thus, this agrarian directive warns:

The Government has sufficient mechanisms and tools to guarantee the supply chain and attend to a a sector in crisis such as transport, which is experiencing a very serious situation, which I hope will be resolved in a very short time. Strikes do not just happen, in this case the price of diesel is a determining factor of competitiveness and the Government must act and I am sure that the agreement will be close", she concludes.

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