Portugal wants EU cash to pay for firefighting goats

Portugal’s agriculture minister, José Manuel Fernandes, is lobbying for additional funding from the European Union to combat the growing threat of wildfires. Fernandes suggests the EU allocate money to pay shepherds to allow goats, cows, and sheep to graze on shrubs in high-risk wildfire areas. This low-cost solution, he argues, has been overlooked by the EU for too long.

Portugal and some Spanish regions have already implemented programs using their own funds. Fernandes claims that preventing wildfires benefits the entire EU, as it helps reduce carbon emissions. He also argues that this approach is part of adapting the agricultural system and countryside to more extreme weather conditions.

Fernandes notes that 42% of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is dedicated to environmental goals. He believes farmers are the best allies for the environment. The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, is reportedly considering announcing measures to prepare farms for future droughts in her upcoming State of the Union speech.

The European Commission’s Agriculture Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, has expressed hope that the EU will take action to enhance climate resilience in the farming sector. Irish Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon has also advocated for including agriculture in the EU’s climate resilience framework, set to be released in October.

Spain’s Agriculture Minister, Luis Planas, has called for more EU funding to protect farms against droughts, highlighting the potential of new gene-editing crops, which the European Parliament recently approved, as part of the solution. Fernandes proposes using funds from the EU’s Emissions Trading System to support grazing goats and civil protection efforts.