PS-Madeira has defended controlled grazing as a useful complement to land-use planning and fire prevention in the region. Speaking at the traditional Shearing Festival held last Sunday in Terreiros, the President of the Madeiran socialists said the party will bring a proposal to the Legislative Assembly to regulate grazing. The plan is intended to fit with the recently approved Regional System for Integrated Management of Rural Fires. Célia Pessegueiro said the Regional Government has not dealt effectively with the build-up of vegetation in Madeira’s mountains. She argued that fire management should not depend only on heavy machinery and instead should include livestock to help clear land and support civil protection. Pessegueiro also said the Executive should listen to shepherds, cattle owners, and others with experience in the mountains, warning that cleared areas are quickly overrun again if they are not maintained. She said the PS will seek an amendment to the Silvopastoral Regime and called for breeders to use their associations to press their demands, adding that “Change only happens when officials feel the pressure.”
