Valpaços, Portugal, Aug. 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister for Agriculture announced on Monday the launch of calls for applications to restore production capacity following the damage to vineyards, olive groves and almond orchards caused by the fire that started in the northern region of Valpacos and affected 13,800 hectares.
«As part of the support within the remit of the Minister for Agriculture, we will be issuing calls for applications to restore productive capacity. There are specific criteria; support will be provided to farms that have suffered damage in excess of 30%. Unfortunately, there are a large number of farms that have suffered damage far in excess of 30%,» said José Manuel Fernandes.
After meeting with local councillors, producers and associations in the municipality of Valpaços, the Minister for Agriculture and the Sea described a fire of «enormous proportions» which affected 10,000 hectares in this district of Vila Real alone, extending to Mirandela and Vinhais (Bragança), covering a total of 13,800 hectares.
José Manuel Fernandes spoke to journalists afterwards, standing next to a vineyard burnt by the fire, in the parish of Santa Valha.
«We had olive groves, vineyards – as in this case – and almond groves here, all of which have been devastated. Compensation is 100% up to €10,000 in losses, and there is a reduction for amounts up to €400,000, with a minimum co-financing requirement of 50%,» the minister added.
He went on to say that the local council is currently carrying out an assessment of the damage, which will then be sent to the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N).
According to Fernandes, around 500 hectares of vineyards alone have been affected in this district.
He added that, in August 2025, the Government published a decree-law providing for support in the event of serious, large-scale fires causing significant damage, with the details of such support already set out therein.
He explained that a resolution from the Cabinet is required for this support to go ahead, but also before the National Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) can demarcate the affected area.
«Regardless of this resolution, the call for applications to restore productive potential will go ahead. I have also already requested that any unused VITIS funds be allocated to vineyards where less than 30% of the area was affected,» he emphasised.
Therefore, he stressed, «the aim is to support as many farmers and producers as possible».
The minister also highlighted national solidarity, noting that trade associations and the Industrial Feed Association have already offered to provide feed for animals left without pasture as a result of the fire.
«This is an urgent matter that is already being addressed, and given the lack of pasture, we are also moving forward with this feed supply,» he emphasised.
According to the minister, the ICNF will also be carrying out emergency stabilisation measures in the most critical areas to prevent, for example, water contamination and ash runoff in the event of heavy rain.
When asked about the request made by Valpaços Municipal Council for a state of disaster to be declared, José Manuel Fernandes replied: «Under the decree-law we approved in August 2025, support can be provided without the need to declare a state of disaster.» «I am not saying that the government has no intention of doing so; what I am saying is that there is a decree-law that was approved on 25 August 2025, which provides for support in situations of this nature, and the condition is that there must be significant damage and that it must be a large-scale fire, which requires the ANEPC and the ICNF to define the affected area,» he added in response to journalists' persistent questioning on the issue of the state of emergency.
The minister today visited villages affected by the fire that broke out on Tuesday in the Cabeço and Ervões area, in the municipality of Valpaços, Vila Real region, and travelled into the districts of Mirandela, Vinhais and Macedo de Cavaleiros, in the Bragança region, which he will visit this afternoon.
The fire began to subside in the early hours of Saturday morning; it flared up again over the weekend, but by Sunday evening it was declared to be under control.
«Our presence here signifies support, it signifies solidarity, but also gratitude to all those who have done a remarkable job, and I have been with the people where this work and this coordination were highlighted,» emphasised José Manuel Fernandes.
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