The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, celebrated today that the Xunta calls for aid to Galician farmers in compensation for the damages caused by the Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHE), which funds 50% of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Pedro Blanco exemplified in this call, published today in the DOG, the collaboration of the Government with the Xunta to support the primary sector of Galicia that was affected by this disease.
The delegate recalled that the Government approved four months ago a Royal Decree that included the regulatory bases of this aid and allocated 23 million euros to the Spanish livestock sector to offset the expenses caused by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHE), finance the National Programme for the eradication of bovine tuberculosis and the purchase of vaccines against bluetongue serotype 8.
In the case of Galicia, the aid to alleviate the damage caused to the farms by the EHE amounted to 2.8 million euros, which represents half of the 5.6 million available in the call published today by the Ministry of Rural Environment for the farms affected.
The delegate insisted that, despite the fact that animal health is an exclusive competence of the autonomous communities, the ministry headed by Luis Planas decided to strengthen with state funds the aid to livestock farms to mobilize more than 30 million euros throughout the country. In this way, the Government fulfilled its commitment to implement a national program of economic support to farmers affected by EHE, a disease that arrived in Spain in 2022 and had a significant impact on cattle in most of the country since then.
In addition, to combat it, the Ministry of Agriculture also pledged to work with pharmaceutical companies to make an effective vaccine available to the sector. The government’s impetus allowed this vaccine to be available since last August and can be used voluntarily.