Portugal urges EU to fund goat grazing to reduce wildfire risk

Portugal is urging the European Union to include funding for livestock grazing in its next long-term budget as a way to reduce the risk of devastating wildfires.

Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes wants EU funding to support shepherds who allow goats, cows and sheep to graze on shrubs and vegetation in areas particularly vulnerable to wildfires, Politico reports. 

Portugal and several regions in Spain already operate similar programs, but Fernandes argues the approach should receive broader EU support as climate change increases the risk of drought and extreme fires.

“We are using our national money, but it is work that we are doing for all the European Union,” Fernandes told POLITICO during an informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Dublin. He said preventing wildfires could also help reduce carbon emissions.

The proposal comes after a summer marked by severe drought and destructive wildfires across parts of Europe, prompting governments to seek ways to adapt rural areas and agriculture to increasingly extreme weather.

Fernandes argued that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy should be viewed not only as a system of financial support for farmers but also as a tool for adapting Europe’s countryside to climate change.

“A lot of people don’t know that 42% of the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) is for environmental objectives,” said Fernandes. “The best friends of the environment are the farmers.”