Portugal Wants EU to Pay Goats to Fight Wildfires

Portuguese Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes is calling on Brussels to support herders who allow goats, sheep and cattle to graze in areas at risk of wildfires.

Portugal and some Spanish regions already fund preventive grazing to reduce combustible vegetation and the risk of fires.

Fernandes argues that Portugal currently covers the costs from its own budget even though reducing wildfire risks and emissions benefits the entire European Union. He therefore proposes using revenue from the EU’s emissions trading system to fund the measure.

After a devastating summer of drought and wildfires, some member states are seeking to preserve billions in agricultural spending in the EU’s next long-term budget.

According to Fernandes, the issue is not only about supporting farmers but also adapting rural areas and the food system to more extreme weather. He noted that 42% of the Common Agricultural Policy is allocated to environmental goals.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen is calling for farms to be better prepared for future droughts, including by ensuring sufficient water supplies for firefighting and irrigation. Ireland wants agriculture to be included in the climate resilience framework due to be adopted in October.

Spanish Agriculture Minister Luis Planas is calling for additional resources to protect farms from drought. He also considers crops developed using new gene-editing techniques to be part of the solution.

(Politico, bak)