Portugal targets hemp flower growers

An amendment now in force January 5th imposes strict restrictions on hemp production in Portugal, jeopardizing the country's fledgling industry. Various stakeholders are now taking action to demonstrate the illegality of the process.

Humberto Nogueira, vice-president of the Portuguese Industrial Hemp Trade Association (ACCIP), said that a number of provisions appear to be specifically aimed at putting an end to the hemp trade. hemp flowers.

The most alarming rule, in his opinion, is the one that prohibits the transport of hemp flowers from the farm where they are grown - which amounts to banning trade in one of the plant's most valuable components.

«There is no legal basis for restricting trade in the entire hemp plant,» Humberto Nogueira said of the restriction. «At the same time, it limits the profitability of growers and farmers, which translates into a decrease in salaried labor and fixed and seasonal jobs.»

The amendment also prohibits the cultivation of hemp indoors and outdoors. greenhouse, requires growers to plant at least 0.5 hectares, and sets restrictions on the use and handling of crop seeds, all of which act as a deterrent to hemp growers and processors, said Humberto Nogueira.

The amendment does not provide a legal basis for interfering in the farming practices of the hemp, which is a legal, certified and subsidized agricultural crop in the European Union (EU), ACCIP's vice-president, specifically suggesting that the rule on the minimum area for hemp cultivation should override a general rule of the Institute for the Financing of Agriculture and Fisheries (IFAP ) which sets 100 square meters as the minimum for standard crops.

«The requirement of a minimum area of 0.5 hectares to obtain authorization to grow industrial hemp is a limiting factor for thousands of small farmers in Portugal,» nor does the amendment provide any justification for the penalties associated with non-compliance with this provision, according to Humberto Nogueira.

«In general, there is a clear intention in the new ordinance to totally eliminate growers» chances of obtaining a profit from hemp flower, regardless of the purpose the buyer of the crop will give the product," said declared Nogueira.