The Xunta opens aid against plant pests with 40,000 euros

The Regional Ministry of Rural Affairs has opened the call for compensation intended for owners of plants affected by official phytosanitary eradication measures, with a budget of 40,000 euros. The Order of September 30, 2026 establishes the regulatory bases and calls for these grants for the year 2026, processed under the procedure code MR465A. The regulation was published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) number 192, on October 8, 2026, within section III, Other provisions.

A regime to compensate for pest eradication

The order was signed by the Regional Minister of Rural Affairs, Mª José Gómez Rodríguez, and responds to the need to compensate for the economic losses suffered by owners when the competent authority orders the destruction of plants or the application of mandatory phytosanitary actions. The legal basis is Law 43/2002, of November 20, on plant health, whose article 21 mandates the compensation of affected persons, along with Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 and Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2472, which declare this type of aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors compatible with the internal market.

The call focuses on two pests present in Galicia: Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg & O’Donnell, detected in pine forestry nurseries since 2006, and Grapevine flavescence dorée phytoplasma, confirmed for the first time in the community in 2023. The compensations are granted on a non-competitive basis and are compatible with other grants, provided that the total intensity does not exceed 100% of the eligible costs. The summary of the call appears in the National Grants Database with the identifier BDNS 933692.

Which actions and amounts are compensated

• Fusarium circinatum: destruction of Pinus spp. plants intended for forestry plantations, compensating the production cost and, if applicable, the destruction tasks.
• Flavescence dorée: removal and destruction of Vitis vinifera plants in vineyard plots, Vitis spp. plants in grapevine nursery producer facilities, and plants in marketer facilities.

The scales in Annex II set an average production cost of 0.16 euros per forestry plant, with decreasing percentages:

• Up to 150,000 plants: 0.144 euros per plant (90% of the cost).
• More than 150,000 and up to 300,000: 0.122 euros.
• More than 300,000 and up to 500,000: 0.115 euros.
• More than 500,000: 0.108 euros.

Destruction tasks are indemnified up to a maximum of 10% of the value of the destroyed plant. In vineyards, when the measure affects a maximum of 10% of the plot area, 10 euros are paid per eliminated plant, with a minimum of three plants in the overall application; if more than 10% or the entirety of the plot is affected, the amount is 7,500 euros per hectare. In vine nurseries, the fixed production cost is 2 euros per plant, while marketers are paid the acquisition price proven by invoice, with a maximum of 1.50 euros per plant. The maximum amount per beneficiary person is 10,000 euros, charged to the budgetary application 2026.15.04.713E.770.1 C.P. 2009 00740.

Who can apply and with what requirements

• Natural persons, legal persons, and entities without legal personality who are owners of the affected plants.
• Companies, only if they are micro-enterprises or SMEs according to Regulation (EU) 2022/2472.
• Nursery plant producers, registered in the official registries at the time of the initial inspection.
• Vineyard plots of more than 0.1 hectares, registered in the Viticultural Registry of Galicia.

Persons sanctioned for serious or very serious infringements in matters of plant health in the previous two years, companies in crisis, and those with a pending recovery order are excluded. The value of forestry productions—except for forestry nursery plants—and loss of profits are also not indemnified.

Deadline, processing, and resolution

The application period is one month: it begins at 9:00 AM five business days after the day following publication in the DOG and ends at 8:00 PM on the last day. Electronic submission is mandatory for legal persons, entities without legal personality, self-employed workers, and representatives, through the electronic office of the Xunta de Galicia. Actions executed between November 16, 2024, and the last day of the deadline will be eligible for indemnification.

The resolution corresponds to the General Directorate of Livestock, Agriculture, and Agri-food Industries, with a maximum period of five months; after this period without an express resolution, the application is understood to be rejected by administrative silence. An optional appeal for reversal may be filed against the resolutions within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the High Court of Justice of Galicia within two months.

Relevance

The call provides financial coverage for farmers, nursery operators, and plant marketers who suffer the destruction of plant material due to official eradication orders, a situation that in Galicia has continuously affected pine forest nurseries for two decades and, more recently, vineyards due to flavescence dorée. The credit of 40,000 euros is expandable, and the one-month deadline begins to run in the coming days, therefore affected holders must prepare the documentation —destruction and purchase invoices, as applicable— before it expires.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 192, October 8, 2026, III. Other provisions, p. 51852 (official reference: CVE-DOG qsalbkt3-pjl9-zmb8-b658-c4s3mmksibm7).