The Government of Castilla-La Mancha has published a new call for aid for an amount of €360,000 to promote, among the regional livestock sector, the maintenance of the Network of Defence Areas (RAD) against forest fires through controlled grazing “incentivising the owners of livestock farms to have their livestock graze in strategic areas, helping to prevent forest fires”.
“The objective of these grants, known as the ‘fire sheep’, is to promote the use of livestock in the prevention of forest fires by reducing their potential risk in strategic areas with the help of the primary sector, to contribute to the conservation and stability of our mountains and agroforestry systems”, the Government has indicated.
Furthermore, thanks to this call, “we promote sustainable forest management, increasing the improvement of our forest masses, since these activities contribute to the conservation and improvement of the natural environment, as it means advancing in the silvicultural treatment of the land for the prevention of fires. And in turn, we contribute to the improvement of the primary sector in the rural environment”.
These grants, contained within the framework of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy of Spain for the period 2023-2027 and co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), will be able to benefit the owners of livestock farms located in Castilla-La Mancha of sheep, goats, cattle and horses.
The subsidized activity will consist of the management of livestock to reduce the vegetation load on the surfaces that will be offered in the future call by driving and guiding them by a shepherd, or using facilities that prevent their mobility such as electric shepherds or mobile fences. In addition, it will be carried out in forests managed by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha.
More information at this link.
