Drought: Agriculture ministry applies for aid to Brussels; farmers unimpressed

Months into calls for help and action from farmers, Portugal’s ministry of Agriculture has recognised the dire situation of drought affecting various parts of the country and is applying to the European Commission for “a set of measures” to be approved”. Explain reports, the country qualifies for Brussels’ intervention as it now has  40% of the mainland in states of severe or extreme drought. CAP, the confederation of Portuguese farmers is predictably unimpressed, stressing that up until now there have been “no support measures whatsoever made available for farmers”. The government has wasted precious time in not activating the crisis fund available in the PAC (Common Agricultural Policy) as Spain has already done, says the confederation.