Aragón expands CAP aid against pests in vineyards and olive groves

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food of the Government of Aragon has published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 162, of August 21, 2026, Order AGA/1238/2026, of August 5, which modifies the call for grants regarding environmental cooperation for cooperation groups in the field of plant health and integrated pest management, within the framework of the CAP Strategic Plan (PEPAC) 2023-2027 for the year 2026. The regulation incorporates as a subsidizable activity the application of mating disruption techniques against Lobesia botrana in vineyards and the mass trapping or attract-and-kill of adults of Bactrocera oleae in olive groves, with a total allocation of 1,900,000 euros.

The order modifies Order AGA/696/2026, of April 30, published in BOA number 91, of May 15, 2026, and is based on the regulatory bases approved by Order AGA/259/2026, of February 6. The call is part of the environmental cooperation intervention (7165) of the CAP Strategic Plan, which seeks the reduction of phytosanitary products and the implementation of more environmentally friendly techniques.

Financing and amounts

The grants are co-financed by the EAFRD and the Administration of the Autonomous Community, with a distribution of 43% and 57% respectively, spread over two annual periods (2026 and 2027). The estimated maximum total amount is 1,900,000 euros, with the following limits:

• Mating disruption of Lobesia botrana in vineyards: 830,000 euros.
• Mass trapping or attract-and-kill of adults of Bactrocera oleae in olive groves: 120,000 euros.

The credit is divided between budget items 14030/G/7161/770131/12204 (€817,000, EAFRD) and 14030/G/7161/770131/91001 (€1,083,000, Autonomous Community). If one of the actions does not exhaust its allocation, the surplus may be accumulated to the other.

Subsidizable expenses and requirements

The order adds new subsidizable expenses for the implementation of demonstration projects for biotechnological methods, with limits per hectare:

• Material for the implementation of mating disruption against Lobesia botrana: limit of €44/ha.
• Material for the implementation of mass trapping or attract-and-kill against Bactrocera oleae: limit of €56/ha.

Applicants must submit the new annexes XI (extended general application), XII (extended individualized application), and XIII (report/project for surveillance networks), through the electronic office of the Autonomous Community.

Deadline and processing

The application period will be fifteen business days starting from the day following the publication of the order in the Official Gazette of Aragon. The processing will be carried out under an ordinary competitive bidding regime, in accordance with the Grants Law of Aragon, and the summary of the call is listed in the National Grants Database with the identifier BDNS 899713. The order, which exhausts administrative remedies, may be appealed for reversal before the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food, Aránzazu Simón Pérez, within one month.

The expansion represents a boost to the biotechnological fight against two of the most damaging pests for Aragonese vineyard and olive grove crops, reducing the environmental impact of phytosanitary treatments and promoting cooperation among agents in the production sector.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 162, August 21, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Agreements) and section V (Announcements) (official reference: BOA20260821016 and BOA20260821018).