The Spanish government today approves direct aid for farmers affected by the drought

The Spanish government has convened an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers for next Thursday at which it will give its approval measures extraordinary for fighting cagainst the drought The new package of measures includes direct support to farmers, including reductions in personal income tax or the exemption from the agricultural IBI.

The extraordinary Council dedicated to drought plans to approve new ones staff for farmers of 650 million euros and tax cuts in income tax that will bring a reduction of 1,807 million in 2023 and 1,093 million in 2022 for more than 800,000 farmers and ranchers.

The support package already includes support measures with an impact of 450 million euros resulting from the decree with support to the agricultural sector that the government approved on March 15, 2022 in fiscal, labor, social and financial terms.

Similarly, EUR 650 million has been allocated to exceptional direct aid already paid to the livestock and citrus sectors and to alleviate fertilizer costs.

The measures to be approved next Thursday include the postponement of social charges for companies and the self-employed, as well as a reduction in the number of workers required to receive the agricultural subsidy, as well as nearly €25 million to support the sector’s liquidity through subsidized loans and guarantees.

Similarly, agricultural insurance will be encouraged and Common Agricultural Policy (PAC) support will be relaxed to cope with drought, while hydraulic quotas will be reduced and it is planned to exempt certain farms from the rustic ibi.