Castilla-La Mancha opens the period for submissions on the preliminary draft of the Agri-Food Quality Law

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of Castilla-La Mancha has opened a public information period regarding the preliminary draft of the Agri-Food Quality Law of Castilla-La Mancha. The measure is formalized through the Resolution of 09/28/2026, from the General Secretariat, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) no. 192, of October 6, 2026, in section III, starting on page 34133, with the official reference [2026/7065]. Any interested party has 20 business days to submit observations, suggestions, or allegations.

The purpose of the preliminary draft is to establish a regulatory framework that ensures the quality and conformity of agri-food products produced, stored, and/or distributed within the territory of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha. Therefore, the regulation affects the entire value chain: agricultural and livestock holdings, the processing industry, storage and logistics operators, commercial distribution, and, ultimately, consumers.

The processing is framed within the mandate of article 36.3 of Law 11/2003, of September 25, of the Government and the Consultative Council of Castilla-La Mancha, which requires that provisions affecting the rights or legitimate interests of citizens be submitted for public information. The regional ministry justifies the procedure based on the convenience of “improving the text with the contributions that citizens may suggest.”

Deadline, venues, and consultation channels

The deadline for allegations is 20 business days and begins to count from the business day following the publication of the resolution in the DOCM. The text of the preliminary draft can be consulted through two channels:

• The notice board of the electronic headquarters of the Government of the Communities of Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM), at www.jccm.es.
• The headquarters of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development, at Pintor Matías Moreno Street, no. 4, 45071 Toledo, every working day from 9:00 to 14:00 hours.

Observations, suggestions, or allegations may be formulated by any interested person, as the resolution does not detail further legitimacy requirements.

The object of the future law

The preliminary draft aims to provide Castilla-La Mancha with its own regulatory framework for agri-food quality, with three scopes of application expressly cited in the resolution:

• The production of agri-food products.
• Their storage.
• Their distribution within the autonomous territory.

The stated objective is twofold: to guarantee the quality of these products and to ensure their conformity with applicable regulations. The community already has Law 7/2007, on Agri-Food Quality of Castilla-La Mancha, the reference regulation on the matter which the new text would update.

Legal basis of the procedure

The opening of public information is based on three regulatory pieces:

• Article 36.3 of Law 11/2003, of September 25, of the Government and the Consultative Council of Castilla-La Mancha.
• Article 5.3 of Order 73/2023, of March 10, of the Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations, regulating the Electronic Notice Board of the JCCM Administration, which mandates the publication of draft regulations to gather citizen contributions.
• Article 133 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations.

The resolution was signed in Toledo on September 28, 2026, by the secretary general, Elena Pérez Payo.

The future law will condition the daily activity of one of the economic sectors with the greatest weight in Castilla-La Mancha, from farming to the supermarket shelf. The open period is the only formal opportunity for farmers, the food industry, distributors, and consumer organizations to incorporate their proposals before the text continues its processing.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM), no. 192, of October 6, 2026, section III, page 34133 (official reference: 2026/7065).