Generalitat announces grants of up to 5,000 euros against bird flu

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia has opened the call for de minimis grants to install biosecurity infrastructure to protect poultry from infection with avian influenza virus. Resolution ARP/2897/2026, signed by Minister Òscar Ordeig i Molist on 31 July, was published in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) number 9729, of 13 August 2026, with code CVE-DOGC-A-26223039-2026. Applications may be submitted from 1 to 15 September electronically.

The call, identified by code BDNS 924193, develops the regulatory bases approved by Order ARP/131/2025, of 30 July, and is subject to the de minimis regime of Regulation (EU) 1408/2013 of the European Commission. The beneficiaries are the holders of poultry farms that raise animals outdoors and game restocking farms with animals in unprotected aviaries or cages, which are most exposed to contact with wild birds. The purpose is to promote policies to combat avian influenza.

Up to 5,000 euros per farm

The maximum allocation of the call is €60,000, allocated to budgetary item AG03/D/770000100/6120/0000 of the department’s budget for 2026, and may be extended if credit is available. The grants will be awarded under competitive competition, comparing applications according to the score obtained.

• Up to 80% of the budget of the subsidised activity, with a maximum of €5,000 per beneficiary.
• The amount may not exceed the cost of the activity, either individually or in conjunction with other subsidies.
• The overall de minimis aid limit is €50,000 per undertaking over a period of three years.

What can be subsidised

Eligible expenses are those for installing structures that prevent contact between poultry and wild birds, including installation and assembly costs. The actions must have been carried out within three years prior to the start of the application period, and the justification must be submitted within the same deadline as the application.

• Protective structure with netting or bird mesh, with holes of a maximum of 19 millimetres in diameter, covering the roof and sides of the yards.
• Covering with shade mesh or similar material that prevents wild bird droppings from falling inside.
• Other protective structures that achieve the same objective.

Deadline, procedures and assessment

Applications must be formalized using the forms on the electronic office between 1 and 15 September 2026, both inclusive, and the resolution must be issued and published within a maximum of six months. The instructing body is the Animal Health Service and the resolution corresponds to the Directorate General for Agriculture and Livestock; proposals and resolutions will be published on the electronic notice board of the Generalitat.

• Documentation: accreditation of representation, deeds or articles of association for legal persons and official mark of the livestock holding.
• Location: 50 points in municipalities in special-risk areas under Order APA/2442/2006, 30 in special-surveillance areas and 10 in the rest.
• Capacity: from 50 points for more than 400 animals to 10 points for fewer than 35 or self-consumption holdings.
• Extras: 1 point for professional farmers, priority agricultural holdings and young farmers.

With this call, the Generalitat provides livestock farmers with a direct instrument to shield the most exposed holdings against avian influenza, a disease that spreads mainly through wild birds. The aid, processed entirely online and without the need for prior notification to the European Commission as it is de minimis, strengthens prevention in a strategic sector and reduces the risk of outbreaks that would force the slaughter of herds.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), No. 9729, 13 August 2026, section Other provisions, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26223039-2026).