Brussels – Over 73 million euros from the European Union to Italy to compensate farmers affected by outbreaks of avian influenza and African swine fever, the European Commission said in a statement. Member States have given the go-ahead to the European Commission’s proposal to mobilise a total of 73.5 million euros from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) agricultural reserve to support businesses in the poultry, egg and pigmeat sectors affected by the two emergencies.
The decision comes on the same day that the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, met, in Sorrento, with the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida. On the sidelines of the meeting, the minister immediately expressed his satisfaction at the news of Brussels’ decision. “The approval of the European regulations allocating €73 million to Italy represents a key milestone and demonstrates how the thorough work of mapping and quantifying the damage leads to concrete results for our agricultural sector,” he said. “This latest measure comes on top of previous initiatives carried out by MASAF, with 114 million euros already allocated to combating avian influenza and a total of over 100 million euros for African swine fever,” he added, noting that “farmers have faced the strict health measures aimed at containing avian influenza and African swine fever with an enormous sense of responsibility and sacrifice.”
Of the funds allocated, 61 million euros will go to poultry farmers and egg producers affected by outbreaks of avian influenza between September 2022 and March 2025, and a further 12.5 million euros to pigmeat farmers to compensate for losses caused by African swine fever between November 2024 and April 2025. This support follows Italy’s requests submitted to the European Commission. The Italian authorities will be responsible for distributing the aid to farmers, a process which must be completed by 31 May 2027.
Funding for Italy comes from the agricultural reserve provided for under the 2023–2027 CAP, which allocates at least 450 million euros per year to address market disruptions and exceptional events affecting production or distribution. The Commission stressed the importance of strengthening risk management tools and the resilience of agricultural holdings, particularly in light of the increasing frequency of adverse events.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
