“Numerous reports have reached AJAP [Associação dos Jovens Agricultores de Portugal] from farmers in the central and northern regions of the country, highlighting various difficulties in accessing available support, particularly with the reporting forms for damages,” stated the farmers in a communiqué.
The association noted that as of last week, these forms had not yet been made available by the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR), forcing those affected to visit their local town halls or seek technical assistance from agricultural organizations.
According to AJAP, “this chain of bureaucracy is unbearable and does not facilitate the urgent support needed by farmers.”
Thus, the association calls for “greater and better coordination” in the field, among municipalities, CCDR, and agricultural organizations, which it claims have been “practically forgotten.”
On August 21, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced in a press conference in Viseu, where an extraordinary Council of Ministers took place, a “new legislative instrument” to be adopted in similar circumstances to those the country experienced in recent weeks.
Among the 45 measures approved is financial support for the “enhancement of agricultural productive potential and exceptional support for farmers to compensate for damages, even through undocumented expenses,” up to a maximum of 10,000 euros, as well as a forest plan to be implemented by 2050.
Since July, mainland Portugal has been afflicted by multiple large-scale rural fires, particularly in the northern and central regions.
The fires have resulted in four fatalities, including a firefighter, numerous injuries, and the total or partial destruction of primary and secondary residences, as well as agricultural and livestock holdings and forested areas.
According to provisional official data, approximately 252,000 hectares have burned in the country as of August 29.
