Castilla-La Mancha accuses Southeast of 'irrigation excess' while farmers see impossible future (xataka.com)

• Castilla-La Mancha accuses southeast of excess irrigation ahead of Supreme Court ruling.
• Supreme Court confirms ecological flows for Tagus, reducing irrigation water by 40%.
• Southeastern farmers face existential threat; desalination too costly as alternative.

"On May 20, 2026, the spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha regional government accused farmers in southeastern Spain of 'irrigating profusely' while her own region faces water restrictions, just before the Supreme Court definitively upheld ecological flow requirements for the Tagus River. These flows, mandated by EU law and court precedent, would reduce water available for irrigation in the southeast by approximately 40%. Farmers in the southeast argue they have legal rights to the water from the Tajo-Segura transfer, have made significant investments, and cannot survive with the cuts. Desalination, the proposed alternative, is three to ten times more expensive. The long-running conflict over water allocation has now reached a critical point, forcing a necessary restructuring of agriculture in the southeast."