EU wildfire prevention and livestock grazing strategy
The developments in this story so far, most recent first.
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· date approximate · Development
Europe turns to goats and sheep to create firebreaks as wildfires rage
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· date approximate · Background
The European Commission published a communication on preventing wildfires that identified grazing as a climate adaptation tool.
No separate article for this desk or language yet.
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· date approximate · Background
The EU implemented a coronavirus response fund which is being cited as a model for potential shepherd funding.
In 2020, the European Union established a coronavirus response fund. This fund has since been invoked by Castilla as a precedent for establishing a dedicated financial mechanism for shepherds, who play a role in wildfire prevention.
The argument draws on the recognition that shepherds often rely on subsidies and that their work in managing landscapes through livestock grazing is undervalued compared to firefighting. The Pau Costa Foundation's Jordi Vendrell has stressed the need to financially support shepherds similarly to firefighters.
The idea aligns with broader EU policy shifts: from 2028, the European Commission plans to introduce a "transition payment" under the Common Agricultural Policy to encourage farmers to move into shepherding.