Esteban Alberto warns of a bleak future for goat farming unless the primary sector narrative changes

The president of the Majorero Cheese Regulatory Council warns: “Goat farming is disappearing in Spain at a brutal speed.” While celebrating the 30‑year anniversary of the denomination, Alberto recalled the figure of its first president, Don Arístides.

The Denomination of Origin Majorero Cheese turns 30, proud of having placed one of Fuerteventura’s most emblematic products on the national and international map. Yet the sector’s future is a cause for concern. During the opening of FEAGA 2026, the council’s president, Esteban Alberto, warned that the industry faces deep‑rooted challenges—from a lack of generational renewal to a shortage of labour—against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty.

The recognition of the Regulatory Council came in an especially emotional edition of FEAGA, also marked by a tribute to the Costa commissioners. For Alberto, three decades of existence mean looking back and acknowledging “the work of many people,” with a special mention to the first president, Don Arístides, whom he described as “a person so illustrious for the island of Fuerteventura.”

The Council’s Role Over Three Decades

Alberto highlighted that the council has been key to organizing and stabilizing production.

“The council tells you how to make the cheese, which maturations you must have, and the minimum quality standards that productions must meet,” he explained.

He added that this work has laid the foundations of Majorero cheese, introduced it throughout the Canary Islands, and later positioned it “at a national and international level as a benchmark cheese.” For Esteban Alberto, Majorero cheese is today “one of the best goat cheeses on the planet,” thanks to the characterization and guarantee provided by the Denomination of Origin to local Fuerteventura producers.

Policies to Sustain Livestock

Nevertheless, the council president was clear that this future is not guaranteed.

“To achieve that, we really need to implement many policies to try to sustain livestock,” he said, acknowledging that there are “many challenges and difficulties” the sector may not be able to overcome in the coming years.

Alberto explained that rising costs are already being felt in fuel, although the impact has not yet been fully transferred to animal feed. He stressed that the problem runs much deeper. After participating in the Alimentaria fair, he warned that the concern is widespread:

“In Spain, goat farming is disappearing at a brutal rate, and many industries will not be able to guarantee supply in the coming years.”

In his view, the issue is not only economic but also “one of supply, structure, and society.” The lack of generational renewal and labour are, he noted, the main obstacles to the continuity of farms. Consequently, he advocated for advancing automation in livestock farming to make it “more attractive” to young people.

But the change must also be cultural.

“The basis is to change the discourse society has about the primary sector,” he asserted. In his opinion, we must stop presenting livestock farming as “a heavily subsidised sector” and start seeing it “truly as a sector of opportunities.”

“If we change the narrative, there may someday be a future; if not, we will face a very black future,” he concluded.