Extremadura increases funding to 900,000 euros for sheep vaccination against bluetongue

The Official Gazette of Extremadura publishes this Thursday, in issue 213 corresponding to November 5, 2026, the 300,000 euro increase in the credit assigned to the single call for grants to promote the voluntary vaccination of sheep against bluetongue, which thus increases from 600,000 to 900,000 euros. The decision corresponds to the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Environment of the Regional Government of Extremadura, which modifies the summary and announcement incorporated into Decree 146/2026, of July 14, with official reference 2026040229. The stated reason is that the volume of applications submitted exceeds the initially estimated forecasts.

The call is governed by Decree 146/2026, of July 14, which establishes the regulatory bases for these grants and approves the single call, published in DOE no. 150, of August 5, 2026. The aid is intended to promote the voluntary vaccination of sheep populations in Extremadura against the different serotypes of the bluetongue virus, and is processed through the direct award procedure under an open call regime. The summary is published under articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of the General Grants Law 38/2003, of November 17, and its full text can be consulted in the National Grants Database, with identifier BDNS 921345.

From 600,000 to 900,000 euros

Article 15 of the decree establishes that the grants are financed from the General Budgets of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, with the following allocation:

• Section 12, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Environment.
• Service 002, General Directorate of Agriculture and Livestock.
• Program 312A, “Plant and Animal Health”.
• Sub-concept 47000, “Current transfers to private companies”.
• Fund CAG0000001, “Autonomous Community”.
• Project 20230440, “Direct award aid to livestock farms Autonomous Community of Extremadura”.

The initial allocation was 600,000.00 euros, charged to the budget application 120020000/G/312A/47000/CAG0000001 for the 2026 fiscal year. The decree already provided that the credit could be increased when budget availability allowed, up to the amount corresponding according to the applicable regulations.

The distribution after the modification

With the modification published this Thursday, the allocation is distributed in a single fiscal year:

• Fiscal year 2026: application 120020000/G/312A/47000/CAG0000001, project 20230440, amount of 900,000.00 euros.

The effective increase is, therefore, 300,000 euros over the additional half million that had already been initially committed, reaching the nine hundred thousand euros appearing in the agreement of the General Secretariat.

Legal basis and processing

The extension is based on section 4 of article 39 of Law 6/2011, of March 23, which regulates the variations that may occur regarding the budget applications or projects, or the amounts initially foreseen in calls opened by direct award, without the limitations derived from article 23.2.h of that same law.

The agreement is signed in Mérida, October 28, 2026, and is subscribed by the Secretary General of the Department, José María Guerrero Pérez. The publication in the DOE is limited to the modification of the fourth section, “Amount of the call,” of the summary and announcement of the call.

Impact for the sheep sector

Bluetongue is a viral disease that affects ruminants, and its prevention involves the vaccination of livestock. The Extremaduran call is voluntary and open, meaning that the available credit determines how many farmers can benefit from the subsidy once their application is submitted.

With this extension, the Junta de Extremadura increases the initial allocation of the line by 50% and responds to the high number of registered requests, providing room for the owners of sheep farms who have applied for aid within the current call.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, no. 213, of November 5, 2026, Section I, General Provisions (official reference: 2026040229).