Aragón announces 500,000 euros in aid against pear fire blight

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food of the Government of Aragon has announced 500,000 euros in grants for pear and quince orchards affected by fire blight, the disease caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. The call is formalized in Order AGA/1628/2026, dated October 21, published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 217, dated November 10, 2026, with the official reference BOA20261110022. The summary of the line appears in the same gazette under reference BOA20261110031, with the National Grants Database identifier BDNS 930965.

Regulatory Framework and Budget

The call is based on Order AGA/1005/2025, dated August 6, which establishes the regulatory bases and was published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 157, dated August 19, 2025. The regulation complies with the de minimis aid regime of Regulation (EU) 1408/2013, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2024/3118, and the consolidated text of the Aragon Grants Law approved by Legislative Decree 2/2023.

The maximum total amount is 500,000 euros, charged to budget item 14030/G/7161/470246/91002 and PEP 2025/000119, corresponding to the 2027 fiscal year. The amount may be increased without a new call if there is a prior declaration of credit availability. The grant is processed through ordinary competitive bidding, and the resolution is the responsibility of the General Directorate of Food Quality and Safety.

Uprooting, Replanting, and Amounts

The grant covers part of the costs for uprooting affected plantations and purchasing seedlings of woody species that are less susceptible to the disease. The planned modules are:

• Up to 50% of the eligible expenditure for each concept.
• Uprooting: expenditure module of 4,000 euros per hectare, with a maximum aid of 2,000 euros per hectare.
• New seedlings: expenditure limit of 6,000 euros per hectare, with a maximum aid of 3,000 euros per hectare.
• Maximum limit of 30,000 euros per beneficiary.

Eligible applicants include natural or legal persons who are professional farmers, companies whose statutory purpose is agricultural production, persons with income from the sale of pear or quince trees of their own property, and plot owners. It is a requirement to have had pear (Pyrus communis L) or quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill) plots uprooted after December 31, 2025, and the subsequent plantation must be maintained for at least five years.

Deadlines, Criteria, and Compatibility

The application period is twenty days starting from the day following the publication of the order, that is, from November 11, 2026. Processing is exclusively electronic through the Electronic Office of the Public Administration of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, under procedure number 11901. The resolution must be notified within a maximum period of 45 days from the end of the application period, with negative administrative silence.

The scoring is divided among three criteria:

• Young farmer status: up to 9 points.
• Professional farmer status: up to 5 points.
• Plots located above 400 meters above sea level: 5 points.

Only less sensitive woody crops are permitted on the same uprooted plot; therefore, Blanquilla and Conference pear varieties and quince seedlings are excluded. The grants are incompatible with others received for the same plots, particularly those for uprooting and planting from operational programs of fruit and vegetable producer organizations and those for farm modernization. Justification ends on April 30, 2027. The order bears the signature of the counselor Aránzazu Simón Pérez.

Fire blight has been declared a regulated non-quarantine pest and is present throughout Aragon, with crop losses and tree deaths that compromise the viability of the farms. This line maintains public support for the sector following the 2025 call and conditions the continuity of fruit-growing activity in the regions most affected by the bacteria.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 217, of November 10, 2026, section III (official reference: BOA20261110022).