The Secretary of State for Agriculture, Luís Medeiros Vieira, today visited some of the areas affected by the recent bad weather and tornados in the Algarve.Viera said there are three teams already assessing the damage, with more coming in to help by the end of the week.
At least 15 farms are known to have suffered serious damage, ranging from uprooted orchards to the destruction of equipment and facilities such as greenhouses.
The politician guaranteed that support will be made available to those farmers affected, through a mechanism “that already has been used to respond to damage caused by fires.”
The Secretary of State said that the affected farms will have access to support to restore their productive potential, which the Government "already made available when the fires also occurred" last summer but, in reality, has been lamentably slow in actioning.
"This measure is part of the rural development program 2020 and supports farmers who have experienced problems such as damage to crops, the destruction of equipment and facilities - the support is directed to the farmers," said Viera, noting that Olhão, Faro, Tavira, Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António areas has all suffered weather damage.
The politician, said that such support is "extremely significant" and that it is "significant aid that certainly meets the concerns of farmers," clutching his lucky rabbit's foot.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said he is "following the situation in the south of the country," but will wait for the weather to clear up a bit, before making a visit.
