Luis Planas asks the European Commission to activate the agricultural crisis fund for the areas affected by the storms

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, during his visit to the areas damaged by the storm in Huelva

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, reported that he has already asked the European Commission to activate the agricultural crisis fund for the areas affected by the successive storms, which have caused substantial losses in agriculture and livestock, especially in the south. The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, will visit Andalusia next week.

Luis Planas has begun a three-day trip to some of the main areas damaged by the storm in the provinces of Huelva, Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba, with a threefold objective: "We need to see the damage caused, listen to the farmers and stockbreeders to find out about the problems arising from this situation, and see how the government can collaborate to help the affected areas recover and move forward".

The minister stressed the importance of collaboration between the government, the Andalusian regional government and local councils to deal with the situation, announcing that the government is preparing a set of response measures to compensate farmers and stockbreeders for the losses incurred and to rebuild damaged production infrastructures.

In this regard, he recalled that the Council of Ministers already approved at its last session on Tuesday the declaration of areas seriously affected by a civil protection emergency for the territories affected by the storms that occurred between 10 November 2025 and 9 February 2026.

The minister pointed out that an assessment of the damage cannot yet be made because the experts and technicians are unable to access many of the affected areas, where the rains are expected to continue in the coming days.

The visit began in Moguer (Huelva), where Luis Planas met with representatives of the Onubense Association of Strawberry Producers and Exporters (Freshuelva), cooperatives and the El Fresno irrigation community.

Huelva accounts for almost 96% of Spain's red fruit production. Producers were affected in the early part of the harvesting season. The minister checked in situ the damage to a strawberry farm caused by the strong winds, the greenhouses of which have already been re-erected thanks to agricultural insurance. Agroseguro has so far received notifications of damage in Huelva from 350 farmers, with an affected area of 2,400 hectares on 5,200 plots.

Luis Planas highlighted the value of the agricultural insurance system, because "it is the best protection tool for farmers and livestock farmers" in the event of adverse weather conditions.

"The risks associated with these squalls - heavy rain, wind and floods - are covered by the agricultural insurance system," the minister remarked.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has consolidated this year the increase of more than 10% that was implemented in 2025. With a budget of €315 million, the government has increased this item since the year 2018, when it started with an initial allocation of €211 million.

In Andalusia alone, farmers and livestock farmers who took out an agricultural insurance policy in 2025 have received state aid of more than €32 million, more than double the amount provided by the Andalusian regional government. The subsidy has thereby accounted for around 45% of the net cost of agricultural insurance.

This afternoon, the minister will visit an onion farm in La Barca de la Florida in the town of Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz), where there have been numerous floods due to overflowing of the Guadalete river.

Jerez, one of the largest towns in Spain, relies heavily on agricultural activity and the impact on horticultural production is of concern, as spring crops such as cotton and sunflower had not yet been sown.

Non official translation