Press release

Court rules Spain breached residents' human rights in landmark case on livestock megapollution 

11 July 2025 

The High Court of Galicia has made a landmark ruling today, which confirms that Spanish national and regional authorities have breached residents’ human rights according to both the Spanish Constitution and European human rights law, by failing to manage record levels of pollution from hundreds of pig and poultry farms in the A Limia region. 

The Xunta de Galicia and the Miño-Sil River Basin Authority have been ordered to immediately adopt all necessary measures to guarantee the end to the odours and environmental degradation of the As Conchas reservoir and its surroundings, restoring the full enjoyment of the right to life. 

This is a critical step in recognising that the devastating impacts of industrial agriculture are not just policy issues—they are human rights issues. 

Lawyers say the case now paves the way for suffering communities to bring replica suits across Europe, to demand justice and protection from their authorities.  

Years of unexplained health complaints, severe algal blooms and acute odour pollution left businesses floundering and locals fearful to leave their homes. Yet authorities continued to deny the problem, even permitting the use of the reservoir for celebrating a watersports tournament in the midst of a serious algal bloom. Seven affected residents, the Neighbourhood Association of As Conchas and the Confederation of Users and Consumers (CECU) were supported by ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth to take the case to court, bringing a claim against multiple local authorities, including the Xunta de Galicia and water authorities. 

During the court hearings, scientists corroborated their suspicions about the extent of the pollution, presenting evidence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs – considered one of the top ten threats to humanity, and showing serious nitrate contamination (at times reaching levels of up to 1,000x higher than typical levels). Nitrates are a well-known risk factor for numerous cancers, including thyroid, breast and ovarian cancer.

In the landmark ruling, published today, the court said: 

“Human rights and environmental protection are interdependent. A sustainable environment is necessary for the full enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, to an adequate standard of living, to drinking water and sanitation, to housing, to participation in cultural life and to development." 

This case about the impact of agriculture-compromised water on people’s fundamental rights is the first of its kind, drawing on both the Spanish constitution and European law to demonstrate that public authorities did not meet their legal obligation to protect people from harm – including from harmful pollution.  The ruling sends a clear message to authorities: that they have a legal duty to act when public health and the environment are at risk. 

Pablo Álvarez Veloso, president of the local neighbourhood association and a claimant in the case, said:

“After so many years of tireless struggle, of being abandoned and ignored by those who were supposed to protect us, today we have finally been heard. The High Court of Justice of Galicia has recognised what we have been denouncing for so long: our rights have been violated due to the inaction of the authorities against the pollution from industrial livestock farming.

“This historic ruling makes us stronger. We won’t stop until the reservoir becomes a place of life once again—a place where we can walk, swim, and drink water without fear. We will keep up the pressure so that the authorities fulfill their responsibilities and implement real solutions, not empty promises.

“And above all, we hope this marks a turning point for many other communities across Europe - that they know they are not alone, that change is possible, that justice, sometimes, is served. Today we celebrate - and we will not be silenced.”

Mercedes Álvarez de León, a claimant in the case and local business owner, said:

“It’s a huge relief and an immense joy. We were completely desperate, and finally all these years of anguish and suffering are being acknowledged. During the court hearing, the seriousness of the situation in the area was made clear - the high levels of groundwater contamination and the risks it poses to my health and that of my family. The situation affected us deeply, to the point that we could no longer live a normal life.

“After years of being ignored by local authorities, justice is finally being served. I hope that one day our lives, and our children's lives, can return to what they once were. This ruling will also help other communities like ours to defend their rights. It is deeply troubling to know that we have been treated as a ‘sacrifice zone,’ to know that our fundamental rights were violated. I want this case to serve as a lesson to authorities across Spain and Europe: it is their responsibility to protect their people and take back control against pollution from industrial livestock farming. Now, I want our fight to stand as an example - so that other communities are heard, that they do not stay silent, and that they fight for their rights.”

Driven by export markets, cheap production models and weak environmental controls, unchecked expansion of intensive pork production over the past two decades has had devastating impacts across Spain. In the 12 months leading up to February 2025, more than 53 million pigs were slaughtered, making it the EU’s top pork producer, and the world’s third largest. Despite decades of evidence, public authorities and the Spanish government have continued to enable the expansion of intensive pork production, often in areas already facing water stress and nitrate contamination. 

ClientEarth lawyer Nieves Noval said: 

“Today’s breakthrough ruling marks the start of the road to justice for the claimants, who have suffered for years without protection from their authorities. It is also a precedent-setting opportunity for communities in ‘sacrifice zones’ across Europe. 

“Communities should not be made to shoulder the burdens of pollution from industrial livestock rearing. Authorities have legal obligations to protect their citizens’ fundamental human rights and they must fulfil them. 

“This case is not just about Galicia – these pollution hotspots are present everywhere. We will continue to stand with people living in sacrifice zones everywhere to demand systemic change to our food systems, and to protect their fundamental rights.” 

The ruling confirms for the first time that even exposure to dangerous pollution violates the right to life. 

Friends of the Earth representative Blanca Ruibal, who is supporting the case said:

“This ruling is an unprecedented victory against industrial livestock farming. We are hopeful about this new path that opens for communities affected by pollution originated from large-scale factory farming. Finally, the As Conchas community can breathe after so many years of enduring an unhealthy environment.

“Now, local governments will have to take action. We will remain vigilant to ensure they do so. We need a reduction plan for industrial livestock farming and facilitate the transition toward extensive farming, agroecology and models that respect the limits of the ecosystems and contribute to keeping rural life alive. Authorities must protect the rights and health of citizens. We will keep demanding this and supporting the local communities that need us.”

David Sánchez, Director of Confederation of Consumer and Users (CECU) said:  

“Today is an historic day for defending the rights of consumers and users. The public authorities are indeed responsible for ensuring that the activities of the industry do not affect the fundamental rights of citizens. We hope that this ruling marks the beginning of the end to situations that make it difficult or even impossible for people in rural areas to drink water from taps in their homes and that justice is done in these cases of contamination.”

ENDS 

Notes to Editors: 

Case background:

  • This case was brought by seven affected local plaintiffs from the village of As Conchas, and two legal entities: the Neighbourhood Association of As Conchas, representing the rights of residents in the town, and the Federation of Consumers and Users (CECU), acting on behalf of water consumers and users in the broader region of A Limia and Baixa Limia. 
  • The Court declared that there has been a violation of fundamental rights: the right to life, in relation to the right to private and family life, including home, the right to property, all of which are connected to access to water and, collectively, to the right to enjoy a healthy and adequate environment as recognised in the Spanish Constitution - and European human rights law.
  • The defendant authorities have been ordered to compensate the claimants with a monthly payment of €1,000 from the date the initial claim was submitted, up to a maximum of €30,000 for each of them (except in the case of one of the non-resident claimants, where the maximum compensation is set at €6,000).
  • Supported by ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth Spain, the case was brought against three levels of public authority - The Miño-Sil River Basin Authority, The Regional Government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia) and five local municipalities in the affected area. 
  • Since the initial filing, Portuguese politicians have grilled their own environment agency on the risk of down-river contamination. Meanwhile, the Ourense Provincial Council unanimously agreed at the end of June to demand urgent measures from the authorities to put an end to the pollution of the Limia River and the As Conchas reservoir. Spanish MEPs have demanded action from the European Commission. And residents are outraged by the defence presented by the Xunta in the court hearing, which denied there was a serious risk to the claimants. 
  • ClientEarth previously took legal action in Italy after fertiliser pollution from hazelnut cultivation decimated the ecosystem of Lake Vico, and poisoned local drinking water. The case was won, with authorities obliged to clean up the water source.  
  • The iconic Spanish lagoon Mar Menor was suffering repeat ecosystem crashes due to a deluge of agricultural fertilisers and slurry that flowed continually into the water, creating a phenomenal smell and thousands of washed up fish carcasses, driving away tourists from a previously thriving area. In 2021, ClientEarth joined with Ecologistas en Acción to take legal action on this. The lagoon has since gained legal personhood.

Wider context & further reading:

  • In 2021, the European Commission referred Spain to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to comply with the Nitrates Directive, due to high numbers of ‘nitrate vulnerable zones’ caused by agricultural pollution in the country. Under EU law, the Nitrates Directive (1991) obliges member states to prevent such pollution. But Spain has repeatedly failed to comply. 
  • Many similar cases are emerging around the world. In Mexico, Maya communities have launched legal disputes against pork brand Kekén. At least one of those was upheld by the Supreme Court on the basis of “grave and irreversible harm to human health and the environment” caused by a 48,000-head pig farm.

Read also:

ENDS

Notes to editors:
  • Add notes to editors here
About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. ClientEarth teams in Europe, Asia and the USA work to shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.