about the Barry MacCullough case, the 42-year-old farmer whose entire industrial hemp plantation was seized on 28 July, Cannareporter questioned the Republican National Guard (GNR) and also DGAV – General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine on the current situation of hemp in Portugal.
O feedback It took a long time and only after insisting with the Office of the Minister of Agriculture did we receive the answers from the Deputy Director of DGAV, Engineer Paula Carvalho, via email. In 69 applications for authorization to grow hemp in Portugal, only 22 were granted.
Order No. 10953/2020 defined the powers in the field of control of the cultivation of hemp for industrial purposes. Were the GNR and other authorities aware of this legislation? If yes, how and when?
The aforementioned Order is the responsibility of the Ministries of Internal Administration, Justice and Agriculture, which, naturally, made it known to the bodies and entities they oversee and which have powers in this matter.
According to point 2 of the Order, “The Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary Medicine (DGAV) transmits electronically to the Institute for Financing for Agriculture and Fisheries (IFAP), to the Judiciary Police (PJ), to the National Republican Guard (GNR) ) and to the Public Security Police (PSP) the information received and evaluated in relation to the authorization requests granted”. Did the GNR and other bodies mentioned receive this information from the DGAV? If yes, on what date?
The communication to the entities referred to in point 2 of the Order is made at the stage in which the authorization requests are granted.
The same Order establishes in point 7 that “The DGAV, the IFAP, the PJ, the GNR and the PSP must, within a maximum period of 30 days after the publication of this order, sign a protocol indicating the focal points of each entity and , in detail, the means of articulation with each other”. Has this Protocol been signed? Which date? Where can it be consulted?
The formalization of the protocol is being articulated between the entities. In any case, the different entities involved are currently carrying out their respective powers in terms of control, as defined in the order.
Photo: DR | www.fitosintese.pt
Does DGAV have or have you had any specific training on industrial hemp?
DGAV has human resources trained in agronomic sciences, therefore, with technical knowledge about the crop.
Industrial hemp is booming worldwide and can represent a very promising industry in our country, with the possibility of substantial income for the State and revitalization of the local economy, taking into account its numerous uses. Portugal already had, in fact, a very prosperous culture of hemp in the past. As an example, at the time of the discoveries, the sails and ropes of the caravels were made of hemp. In your opinion, do you think it would be useful for DGAV and other employees of the Ministry of Agriculture to have training sessions to better understand the uses, potentialities and legislation applicable to hemp for industrial purposes?
It is true that it is never too much to deepen knowledge. However, we consider that there is a very solid scientific and technical knowledge about the culture and the applicable legislation.
Finally, can you update the authorizations for the cultivation of hemp? How many requests has DGAV received and how many have been granted to date? And how many are still awaiting approval?
69 requests were received, many of which are reformulations of the initial requests that were rejected. 22 were approved, 5 are awaiting additional information needed to complete the assessment.
*******************************************************************************
Support Cannareporter and independent journalism! If you consider it important to have access to specialized information on cannabis or hemp in Portugal and in the rest of the world, consider becoming one of our patrons. You can contribute from just €3 / month or invest in advertising on our website, giving your brand visibility in more than 30 countries. See the counterparts at www.patreon.com/cannareporter or ask for more information via the email advertorial@cannareporter.eu. Thank you!