The third vice president and minister of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and of Recovery, Vicente Martínez Mus, has held a meeting with livestock farmers in Enguera (Valencia) to detail the processing of the 500,000-euro aid aimed at supporting the grazing carried out by 70 livestock farms of the Valencian Community in firebreak areas and other key areas for the prevention of wildfires.
As the Generalitat reported in a statement, the meeting with the livestock farmers involved in these projects, whose call was launched last summer, was also attended by the mayor of the locality, Matilde Marín.
Martínez Mus stressed that “orderly” grazing has been “established as an effective and sustainable tool for maintaining firebreak areas and other strategic areas.” Along these lines, he highlighted that herds “reduce the vegetation that can feed a fire and complement the forestry prevention work carried out by the Generalitat.”
Of the total budget planned for these aid measures, more than 435,000 euros are allocated directly to grazing tasks. In addition, the grants include support for infrastructures and equipment essential to carry out this activity on the ground, with an annual limit of 8,000 euros per holding.
The new regulatory bases expand the concepts eligible for subsidy and incorporate elements such as GPS collars and virtual fencing systems, water troughs, water supply, and veterinary expenses.
The minister also emphasized the need to support field professionals: “Supporting the work of shepherds of sheep, goats, cattle and horses helps us prevent fires and maintain an activity that generates income in our towns.” “In the Valencian Community, shepherds and livestock farmers play an important role in protecting our mountains and in maintaining the trade of grazing,” he added.
He also indicated that the day held in Enguera “makes it possible to directly listen to the livestock farmers and identify which aspects we can improve to make their work easier.” “We want to make the administrative procedures for these aid measures more agile—aid measures that are fundamental for fire prevention, expand the number of livestock farmers who benefit from them, and increase the resources allocated to this activity,” he specified.