The Portuguese Minister of Agriculture, José Manuel Fernandes, is strongly advocating for EU financial support to provide goats and other livestock for wildfire control. In an informal meeting with other ministers in Dublin, he argued that this traditional and low-cost method could help reduce fires in vulnerable areas.
The need to pay attention to traditional methods
Fernandes stated, "We are using our national resources, but we are doing this for the entire European Union." According to him, this action not only helps protect the environment but also leads to a reduction in carbon emissions. While this summer has been marked by drought and devastating wildfires, some countries are trying to seize this opportunity and ask others to continue funding farmers.
Agricultural strategies against climate change
While some countries have called for cost reductions on issues like solidarity and agriculture, ministers like Fernandes believe that this is not just about payments to farmers, but that we need to adapt the food and agricultural system to more severe weather conditions. He pointed out that 42 percent of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is dedicated to environmental goals and added, "Farmers are the best friends of the environment."
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christoph Hansen, also emphasized the need for actions to prepare farms for future droughts and called for sufficient water supply to extinguish fires and irrigate farms during dry times. Additionally, Luis Planas, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, called for an increase in the EU budget for the protection of farms against droughts.
Fernandes suggested that resources from the EU greenhouse gas emissions trading system could be used to support these goats and said, "If we are helping the transport sector to reduce emissions, why not help this sector that relates to civil protection?"
