Yucatán Poultry Farm Shut Down for Deforestation

Kinchil, Yucatán — A further case of forest devastation has been detected in the Yucatán Peninsula. Federal inspectors have shut down a local company's expansion project after it illegally cleared more than 13 hectares of land.

This week, the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) issued a closure order halting expansion activities at a poultry farm. The property belongs to the company Productora Nacional de Huevo in Kinchil, Yucatán. Inspectors stated the site was closed for lacking the corresponding authorization for a change of land use in forested areas, which must be issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). These activities affected a surface area of 13.7 hectares.

During a forest inspection visit carried out on November 12, Profepa personnel observed that work had been performed at the site to level roads, remove natural vegetation, form streets with stony material, and install posts and electrical wiring. These actions were carried out on an ecosystem of low deciduous forest, characteristic of the state of Yucatán and in a good state of conservation in the adjacent areas.

Federal inspectors closed the site after discovering the illegal land clearing. The affected terrain contained tree, shrub, and herbaceous species distributed across different vegetative strata, associated with species of cacti and bromeliads, as well as the natural distribution of wild flora and fauna species cataloged under some risk category according to the Mexican Official Standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.

For failing to present the required authorization for the change of land use in forest areas, a total temporary closure was imposed, which entails the immediate suspension of any activity other than the conservation of the site. At the inspected points, five closure seals were placed to ensure compliance with the measure.

Profepa reaffirms its commitment to protecting the country's forest ecosystems and ensuring that productive activities are carried out with strict compliance to environmental legislation, in favor of conserving biodiversity and the ecological balance of the region.