Lisbon, June 5, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Confederation of Agriculture (CNA) expressed regret on Friday that only 1% of the losses caused by the winter storms had received financial support, emphasising that the delays are mainly due to a lack of staff.

“A few days after Storm Kristin devastated the centre region, when the minister for agriculture announced millions of euros in aid for affected farmers and stated that applications were already open, no one would have expected that, more than four months later, only 1% of the losses would have benefited from financial support,” the CNA criticised in a statement.

According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), cited by the confederation, around 7,700 applications and claims for damages were submitted, corresponding to declared losses exceeding €550 million.

Of these, €206 million were recorded in the centre region, €167 million in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, and €180 million in the Alentejo.

Data from the Institute for the Financing of Agriculture and Fisheries, meanwhile, show 847 applications, corresponding to €5.6 million in aid paid out.

The confederation believes these delays are due to a lack of staff in the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDRs) to assess the applications.

Furthermore, the CNA pointed out that there is no regularly updated data on the number of applications submitted, assessed and paid out.

“But this whole process, including what is (not) reaching farmers, also reveals a lack of political will to provide an effective response to the disaster that has affected thousands of farmers,” the confederation stressed, demanding that the government “urgently allocate the necessary resources so that the state can honour its commitment”.

Lusa has contacted the ministry of agriculture and the sea and is awaiting a response.

PE/AYLS // AYLS

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