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History

Over the years Portugal has endured troubled times with a dramatic impact on culture, national heritage and economy and finance. Nevertheless, the first half of the 19th century was undoubtedly the worst for our country, with the French Invasions led by General Junot in 1807, until March 1814 when General Massena was finally expelled along with his troops. The country suffered seven years of violent wars with devastating effects. Besides the heritage which was taken by Napoleon’s troops, there was also a wave of pillage in places like churches, convents and palaces. When the war with the French was finally over, and a financial recovery was being prepared in Brazil, a civil war broke out between the two sons of King João VI, D. Pedro (a liberalist) and D. Miguel (an absolutist), which lasted from 1828 to 1834. After the end of the civil war, D. Pedro died and his daughter D. Maria II succeeded him. As she was only 15 years old, some noblemen secured the throne until she became of age to rule the kingdom. According to the reputed Portuguese historian, Professor José Hermano Saraiva, Portugal was at the time in a dramatic situation not only due to the serious economic situation, but also to a political, ideological and even military crisis. Exports were almost impossible due to the lack of the necessary equipment and experienced technicians to produce competitive products for the European markets. There was no workforce, machines, industry or money to invest. As a result of this delicate situation, the only way to survive was in agriculture, which ended up providing noblemen the income they needed through the hard labour of the poor. Quoting Renano Henriques in “Companhia das Lezírias... myth or reality?”, it was when he faced this terrible situation that the king suspended the Religious Orders by Decree on 28 May 1834, and determined that national assets be sold. This Decree was published by the Minister of Finance, Silva Carvalho, hoping it would reduce public debt through the auctioning of feudal assets such as convents, chapels, and crown and church property. Consequently, in 1836 Queen Maria II approved the selling of the land that now forms the marshes of Tejo and Sado, which were bought by the specifically created Companhia das Lezírias on 25 June of that same year. The buyers were Domingos José de Almeida Lima, José Bento de Araújo and Joaquim José Rollin, who bought the property for the amount of 2,000 Escudos (pre-Euro currency). Throughout its 166 years of history, the Companhia das Lezírias has always played an important role due to its innovative spirit and leading-edge technology, and has therefore contributed to the development of Portuguese agriculture, even under different forms of government, such as the Constitutional Monarchy, Democracy and even Dictatorship during the rule of Salazar and Caetano.

Different investors came and went but the company continued to play a significant role in everything related to agriculture and cattle-breeding, in particular by frequently attending national and international fairs and livestock contests. Companhia das Lezírias has always been coveted from the moment it was established, when it covered an area of about 48,000 hectares from Golegã to Comporta. Today, it has about 20,000 hectares mostly near the marshlands of Vila Franca de Xira, Charneca do Infantado and boasts a very different structure and statute. The coveting continued in a more sophisticated way, but the goals of Companhia das Lezírias are now much clearer, safer, as well as defensible because they involve the future of the largest urban area of Portugal. Following the end of the dictatorship, on 25 April 1974, the Portuguese government decided to nationalize the farmstead on 13 November 1975 so as to protect it, buying every share available. As a national enterprise, the company found it extremely difficult to cope with the free market, which was not very competitive but sill posed some new challenges to the fair value of products and services the company offered.The need to change the legal statute of Companhia das Lezírias as a public company became more and more evident when Portugal joined the European Union and had to comply with the Common Agricultural Policy. This change was possible with the enactment of Decree 182/89, of 31 May, which transformed it into a limited company governed by private law, with wholly public funds. A Board of Directors was then appointed that operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and Agriculture. The company was then thoroughly restructured and new management techniques were applied to consolidate its economic situation. On 30 May 2001, a dispatch from the Secretary of State for Treasury and Finance ruled that all shares of Companhia das Lezírias were to be transferred to IPE (Institute of Business Participation). The company now has a solid and healthy financial situation. However, its true recovery was only perceptible after 1996 when its operating results were positive. The company’s main goals are profitability, solidity and safety, and the economic and social development of the region. Companhia das Lezírias is an agricultural undertaking that relies on its size, resources, diversity and technological capacity to optimize its potential by adding value to its production and services, with innovation and leading-edge technology achieved in environmentally sustainable conditions. Companhia das Lezírias is one of the few national agricultural companies that is able to create, organise and operate the production of goods, both vegetable and animal, without resorting to intermediaries to guarantee that goods are sold. In terms of environmental tourism, it is without any doubt the Portuguese company with more potential to provide leisure activities such as agro-eco and wine tourism.

The perfect match between these two strands (agricultural activity and environmental tourism) is crucial to the development and sustainability of the company. To guarantee the effectiveness of our agriculture activity, we rely on our technology, use the extensive and strategic land structure available, and make full use of the existing water resources and structures. If we continue to follow these precepts, we will be able to preserve the animals and the forest and secure its future development.

The area of environmental tourism still falls short of the objectives. Before advancing to this activity that shows such a promising future, we felt we should first consolidate the agricultural activity. We established a Hunting Zone and the best Equestrian Sports Centre in the country, in addition to running, jogging and walking tracks, a Holiday Camp for children and a Pedagogical Farm. We have refurbished the winery’s tasting room to include it in the Rota da Vinha e do Vinho [Wine Route], and we offer the best facilities for social events such as visits to the farmstead, company parties, weddings and company training activities with an edge of sports and adventure.

The preservation of this environmental heritage is absolutely essential to those who wish to guarantee a good quality of life in the urban area of Greater Lisbon in the next 50 years.