site.btaAgriculture Ministry to Pay De Minimis Aid to Wildfire-Affected Farmers

Individual state aid under the de minimis scheme will be granted to agricultural producers who have suffered damage from recent wildfires in the country, which affected farms and led to the loss of livestock, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food said on Wednesday. 

The individual maximum amount of support that a farmer may receive under the scheme within three consecutive fiscal years is up to EUR 50,000.

Agriculture Minister Georgi Tahov will convene an extraordinary meeting of the State Fund Agriculture's Management Board on August 18 to approve the aid, aiming to provide swift and timely support to farmers affected by the disaster. 

Funds will be allocated individually to affected producers based on confirmed damages caused by the fires. Expert commissions, including representatives of the Regional Agriculture Directorates, are currently carrying out inspections and assessing the impact on the affected farms. Farmers may be compensated for losses of unharvested agricultural produce, livestock, bee colonies, and feed.

The Ministry applies this support instrument as needed in response to extraordinary, complex, or severe circumstances in the sector.

In case a fire breaks out on agricultural land, producers must notify the regional offices of the State Fund Agriculture within 15 working days from the date the incident has ended.