Flanders releases 4.13 million euros in emergency aid for farmers

The Flemish Government is reserving 4,133,821.06 euros in emergency financial aid for farmers most severely affected by the surge in fertilizer prices caused by the crisis in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The decree was adopted on October 23, 2026, in Brussels and signed by Minister-President Mr. Diependaele and the Flemish Minister for Environment and Agriculture J. Brouns. It was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on November 10, 2026, page 59910, under reference C − 2026/008179.

The text ensures the implementation in the Flemish Region of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1894 of July 27, 2026, which entered into force on July 29, 2026, providing for emergency financial aid for farmers affected by specific problems impacting their economic viability due to the crisis in the Middle East. The government justifies the urgency by the rise in domestic fertilizer prices within the European Union since February 28, 2026: this surge affects the affordability and availability of fertilizers necessary for the production cycles of the 2026 and 2027 seasons, weighs on farm incomes, and risks, according to the decree, having negative effects on food availability in the Union in 2027. The decree takes effect as of March 1, 2026.

Access Conditions and Trading Register

Only farmers who received nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers between March 1, 2026, and August 31, 2026, in accordance with their own farm’s trading register, are eligible. This register is the part of the chemical fertilizer register intended for farmers, referred to in Article 2.2.4.1 of the VLAREME of October 28, 2016. Furthermore, applicants must meet all of the following conditions on the date of granting:

• be known to the competent entity with their identification data;
• satisfy, for the 2026 campaign year, the active farmer conditions set out in Article 4, § 2, of the decree of April 21, 2023, on direct payments;
• have submitted the 2026 single application provided for by the ministerial decree of May 11, 2023;
• have recorded in the register at least 0.25 tonnes of nitrogen from nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers.

Only nitrogen used on plots located in the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region is taken into account, and the quantity is reduced by the amount transferred to third parties.

A unit amount capped at 180 euros per tonne

The Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries examines the files, determines the amount for each beneficiary, and distributes the budget pro rata, based on the available budget and the tonnage of nitrogen recorded in the register. The unit amount is a maximum of 180 euros per tonne of nitrogen. No aid is granted for the quantity of nitrogen exceeding the limit of 30 tonnes.

Payment before February 28, 2027

The aid is paid no later than February 28, 2027; payments made after this date cannot be considered eligible. The competent entity recovers the aid if it appears that the beneficiary does not meet all the conditions. It is also responsible for the processing of personal data (identification, contact, financial data, VAT data, and plot data) within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2016/679.

Prior formalities: opinion of the Inspection of Finance of September 16, 2026, opinion no. 2026/085 of the Flemish Data Protection Authority of October 7, 2026, and the absence of an opinion from the Council of State in application of Article 3, § 1, of the coordinated laws of January 12, 1973. The decree is based on the decree of June 28, 2013 relating to agriculture and fisheries policy.

For Flemish operators, the mechanism creates a concrete but strictly framed right: the budget is distributed among all eligible beneficiaries, such that the final amount per tonne will depend on the number of accepted files and the total volume of declared nitrogen. The deadline of February 28, 2027 governs the entire administrative calendar, as the Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries must process the requests within a period of less than four months.

Official source: Belgian Official Gazette no. 256 of November 10, 2026, p. 59910, reference C − 2026/008179, decree of the Flemish Government of October 23, 2026, relating to the granting of emergency financial aid to farmers following the crisis in the Middle East.