This municipality, located within the Douro International Natural Park in the district of Bragança, reports an area of around 854 hectares of agricultural land burned, with 168 hectares eligible for government assistance up to 10,000 euros.
According to this municipality led by socialist Nuno Ferreira, there are also significant damages in honey production, with 1,172 hives burned.
“The damages reported by farmers were more evident in olive groves, vineyards, and almond crops, with reports of damaged irrigation systems, burned pastures, and destroyed apiaries,” the municipality stated in a release.
These figures emerge from measures taken by the municipality, which acted ahead of the government to assess and catalog the damages related to the fire incident.
Following a meeting on Thursday in Sernancelhe, Viseu district, with 27 local leaders from regions affected by the fires and attended by Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes and Minister of Territorial Cohesion Miguel Castro Almeida, it was established that individuals with losses up to 10,000 euros would be reimbursed within 10 days. The municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta was represented by its mayor, Nuno Ferreira.
“We hope this materializes effectively, and we will monitor it closely,” promised Nuno Ferreira in the same note.
During this meeting, Nuno Ferreira presented several requests to the government, with hopes that they will be considered so that no one is left uncompensated for the losses incurred by this massive fire that devastated hectares of land and consumed the lifetime work of hundreds of producers/farmers in the municipality.
The mayor invited the authorities to visit the municipality to see firsthand the devastation and needs of the population affected by this disaster.
According to this Douro International municipality, following this meeting, “it was stipulated that the application process for state aid by those affected will begin on Monday.”
The Municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta has conducted this damage assessment throughout the week and is prepared to start the application process from Monday, aiming to expedite the process for those registered as affected to date.
The municipality further stated that the Farmer Support Office will continue to provide necessary assistance, conduct additional damage assessments, and submit more applications if needed.
Another measure announced is that starting Monday, feed will be distributed, which is expected to have arrived in the municipality on Saturday, the most affected area by the Douro International fire that started on August 15 and quickly spread to the municipalities of Torre de Moncorvo and Mogadouro in the PNDI area.
“In total, over two days, 43 tons of hay will be distributed, an urgent measure aimed at ensuring food for the animals and providing immediate support to the producers,” stated Nuno Ferreira.
The GNR estimates that over 13,000 hectares have burned across these three municipalities in the Bragança district, according to preliminary data.
