Junta de Castilla y León approves direct aid of 1.86 million for fires

Junta activates urgent aid for the countryside of Castile and León

The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development and Environmental Policy of Castile and León has published ORDER AGR/776/2026, of 13 August, by which a direct subsidy of €5,500 is granted to 339 professional farmers, livestock farmers and beekeepers whose holdings were damaged by the forest fires that occurred during the summer of 2026 in the autonomous community. The total amount amounts to €1,864,500.00.

The order was signed in Valladolid on 13 August 2026 by the regional minister Joaquín Antonio Pino and is published in the Official Gazette of Castile and León, number 159, of 18 August 2026, starting on page 32. From its publication, the aid is understood to be accepted by the beneficiaries, unless they expressly reject it within ten days.

Regulatory framework: a Junta Agreement and two resolutions of the Vice-Presidency

The administrative action responds to Agreement 135/2026, of 30 July, adopted by the Junta of Castile and León, in which urgent actions were programmed for the recovery of the areas affected by the forest fires of the summer of 2026. In the agricultural field, the list of affected municipalities is defined on the basis of two resolutions of the Second Vice-Presidency of the Junta of Castile and León: that of 30 July 2026 and the extension of 4 August 2026, both complemented with graphic and satellite analyses by the regional ministry itself.

The direct granting is based on Article 22.2(c) of Law 38/2003, of 17 November, General Law on Subsidies, which allows this exceptional procedure when reasons of public, social and economic interest make a public call for applications difficult. At the regional level, Article 31.1 of Law 5/2008, of 25 September, on Subsidies of the Community of Castile and León, supports the decision of the regional minister, subject to prior authorisation by the Junta, set out in an Agreement of 13 August 2026.

Amount, scope and beneficiaries

The minimum aid set in the order is €5,500 per holding holder, received once. However, this amount may be increased up to a maximum of €25,000 in future agreements, depending on the burned agricultural area, the number of animals that died or were culled, and the destroyed beehives. The scales for calculating the increase will be established in upcoming resolutions.

The recipients are exclusively professional farmers, livestock farmers and beekeepers, understood as those who submitted the single CAP application for 2026 in Castile and León and meet specific requirements:

• Natural persons: registered in the RETA (with or without incorporation into the SETA) for carrying out agricultural activity.
• Agri-food cooperatives, community land farming cooperatives, or worker cooperatives with an agricultural purpose.
• Agrarian Transformation Companies (S.A.T.) and joint holders.
• Joint ownership communities, estates in abeyance, and civil companies without a commercial purpose, provided that at least one of the co-owners is registered in the RETA.
• Commercial entities whose majority partner is registered in the RETA.

Non-professional farmers and livestock farmers do not receive the minimum aid, but may receive it based on the damages declared according to conditions to be established in future agreements, provided they have submitted the 2026 CAP application or the declaration in the corresponding registries.

Damages and budget financing

The order describes the effects on the agricultural sector as “devastating”: burned crop areas, destroyed beehives, damaged facilities, and death or disappearance of livestock heads, in addition to the loss of habitat, territory, and shelters. The stated objective is to protect the viability of farms, maintain employment, and recover economic activity as soon as possible.

Financing is covered under budget item 03.04.G.412A01.77039.0 of Law 5/2024, of May 9, on the General Budgets of the Community of Castile for 2024, extended by Decree 23/2025, of December 30 for the 2026 fiscal year. Payment will be made in a single disbursement per beneficiary, once it has been verified that they are up to date with their tax obligations and Social Security.

Appeals and compatibility

Against the order, which exhausts the administrative route, an appeal for reconsideration may be filed before the same body within one month, or an administrative contentious appeal before the High Court of Justice of Castile and León within two months, counted from the day following publication in the BOCyL. The aid is compatible with other subsidies for the same purpose, provided that the limits of the de minimis aid of Regulation (EU) No. 1408/2013 in the agricultural sector are respected.

The order provides for an inspection, monitoring, and control regime by the regional ministry, which may request supporting documentation from beneficiaries to verify the accuracy of the data. Holders are subject to the obligations and responsibilities set forth in Law 5/2008, of September 25, on Subsidies of Castile and León. The debate on successive aid to increase the minimum amount to 25,000 euros and extend aid to non-professional holders remains open to future agreements of the Regional Government.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León (BOCyL), number 159, August 18, 2026, Section I.C — Subsidies / Resolutions, p. 32 (official reference: BOCYL-D-18082026-159-2).