The Xunta announces 2.7 million in aid for aquaculture farmers affected by biotoxins

The Regional Ministry of the Sea announces grants for a maximum amount of 2,700,000 euros to compensate aquaculture farmers for the temporary suspension of the harvest of cultivated mollusks during the year 2025. The Order of September 11, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) number 180, on September 22, 2026, establishes the regulatory bases and opens the call for 2026 under the procedure code PE205K. The measure, under a non-competitive competition regime, is co-financed by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

The regulation is signed by the Regional Minister of the Sea, Marta Villaverde Acuña, and is developed under Regulation (EU) 2021/1139, which allows for the compensation of aquaculture operators when the suspension of the harvest is due to the proliferation of toxin-producing plankton or the presence of biotoxins. The text supports priority 2 of the EMFAF, relating to the promotion of sustainable aquaculture activities, and is included in specific objective 2.1 of the Spanish operational program 2021-2027. The extract of the call is also published in the same bulletin, with identification number BDNS 930503.

Affected polygons and beneficiaries

According to the report issued on July 21, 2026, by the Technological Institute for the Control of the Marine Environment of Galicia (Intecmar), the polygons that in 2025 accumulated more than four consecutive months of activity prohibition due to biotoxins are four:

• Bueu A: closed from August 1 to December 31, 2025.
• Bueu B: closed from August 22 to December 31, 2025.
• Cangas A: closed from August 21 to December 31, 2025.
• Cangas B: closed from August 21 to December 31, 2025.

Beneficiaries may be aquaculture companies, natural or legal persons, who are owners of aquaculture establishments located in these polygons for more than four consecutive months within the indicated date intervals. Among the requirements, it is demanded to have no pending reimbursement obligations, to be up to date with the Treasury and Social Security, to have civil liability insurance for the establishment, and not to fall under the causes of exclusion provided for in the subsidy regulations and the EMFAF regulation.

Amount of grants and financing

The grant is a capital subsidy and does not constitute State aid. The amount will be a maximum of 50% of the losses recorded in sales, with a minimum of 1,500 euros per beneficiary and a maximum limit of 100,000 euros. For the calculation, the 2025 sales are compared with those of the 2022, 2023, and 2024 financial years, data provided by the Analysis and Records Service of the Regional Ministry of the Sea.

Funding is divided into 70% borne by the EMFAF and 30% by the Autonomous Community. The expenditure will be charged to budget application 16.02.723A.770.1, project 2024 00152, of the budget of the Ministry of the Sea for 2026. The cost of certification or the report of agreed-upon procedures from a ROAC auditor is also eligible for subsidy, up to 1,500 euros, when the subsidy exceeds 30,000 euros.

Deadline, processing, and resolution

The deadline for submitting applications is one month starting from the day following the publication of the order in the DOG, that is, from September 23 to October 23, 2026. Applications must be submitted electronically through the standardized form of the electronic office of the Xunta de Galicia, with the corresponding complementary documentation depending on whether they are legal entities, individuals, or a plurality of holders.

The processing is the responsibility of the Aquaculture Planning and Management Service, and the selection is carried out by a Selection Committee established within the General Directorate of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Technological Innovation, chaired by the general sub-directorate of Aquaculture. The resolution is the responsibility of the Minister of the Sea, who delegates it to the head of the aforementioned general directorate, and the maximum period for issuing and notifying the resolution is four months from the publication of the order. If the credit proves insufficient, a proportional distribution will be applied among the applications.

The call comes after a 2025 in which the mussel polygons of Bueu and Cangas remained closed due to biotoxins for more than four months, which resulted in turnover losses for the sector. Affected companies now have one month to claim compensation that can reach 100,000 euros per beneficiary, with a total allocation of 2.7 million euros.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 180, September 22, 2026, section III, p. 49858 (official reference: 7yrj41s7-boq9-m4t4-09y1-dmh9xbbxhkr9).