The Portuguese government, through an order signed by Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes and published today in the Diário da República, has announced a total of 44 million euros in available support funds.
The decree recognizes the large-scale fires between May 2 and October 15, 2025, in mainland Portugal as a natural disaster, having severely impacted numerous parishes and the productive potential of various agricultural operations.
More than 600 parishes across 130 municipalities, primarily in the North and Center regions, but also including Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, Alentejo, and Algarve, are affected.
The government highlights that these critical situations justify the use of support under measure C.4.1.3 “Restoration of Productive Potential,” within the C.4.1 “Risk Management” intervention of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC) on the mainland.
This order specifies that the support aims to restore the productive potential damaged by the natural disaster in agricultural holdings located in the listed municipalities and parishes, as mentioned in the document published in the Diário da República.
Eligible expenses must have been incurred from May 2, 2025, and require confirmation by the Regionally Competent Coordination and Development Commission for the declared losses.
The procedure for verifying and confirming declared losses must be completed within 30 days after the submission period for applications ends.
Beneficiaries are limited to a single application, and the order took effect as of October 30.
The government adopted Decree-Law No. 98-A/2025 on August 24, establishing support measures and mitigating the impact of rural fires, providing exceptional support to farmers for compensation of losses up to 10,000 euros through a simplified application procedure.
The order published today states that given the complementarity between that measure and the support under measure C.4.1.3 — “Restoration of Productive Potential,” farmers who benefited from supports under Decree-Law No. 98-A/2025, of August 24, can also apply for the support announced today.
However, it notes that in such cases, amounts received under those applications are deducted from the support to be granted under measure C.4.1.3 — “Restoration of Productive Potential.”
The aid is granted as a non-refundable subsidy, with support levels for eligible operations divided into different brackets: 100% of eligible expenses up to 10,000 euros, 80% for eligible expenses above 10,000 euros (for beneficiaries with insurance under the Agricultural Insurance System, created by Decree-Law No. 162/2015, of August 14), and 50% for eligible expenses above 10,000 euros (for beneficiaries not covered by the previous point).
If the total value of eligible applications exceeds the budget allocation, individual amounts granted are proportionally reduced among the respective applicants.
The support to be granted is reduced by the amounts of insurance indemnities or other risk management mechanisms, supporting only the deductible required in the agricultural insurance contract.
This fire season is marked by approximately 270,000 hectares of burned area, the fourth worst year in terms of burned area after 2017, 2003, and 2005, with four deaths, including a firefighter, several injuries, and total or partial destruction of primary and secondary residences, as well as agricultural, livestock, and forest areas.
