Portugal will ask the European Commission on Monday to allow the use of the tools available in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to help farmers cope with the drought, a European source said.
At the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture of the European Union (EU), the Portuguese delegation will “report on the impact of recent droughts on southern Europe and ask the Commission to agree to use the tools available in the CAP to face the situation,” the same source said.
Agriculture and Food Minister Maria do Seu Antunes announced on May 8 that she had signed a dispatch recognizing the drought in 40% of the country’s territory, in the south of the country.
The message on the dry situation allows “activating a set of measures to support farmers,” the minister said.
Maria do Seu Antunes, who took part in the EU Council meeting on the 30th in Brussels, then specified that this assistance can be obtained either from the single request of the ESP strategic plan, or from “another set of measures” for which it asks for permission from Brussels. one of which fallow can be used for grazing.
According to the government’s ‘PDSI – Palmer Severity Severity Index’, at the end of April, 40 municipalities were classified as severe drought and 27 as extreme drought, representing about 40% of the territory.