EU mobilises over €73 million from the agricultural reserve for Italian poultry, egg and pig farmers

European Union member states have approved a European Commission proposal to mobilise more than €73 million from the agricultural reserve for Italy, compensating farmers in areas hit by outbreaks of avian influenza and African swine fever. The Commission said the funds will support farmers active in the poultry and egg sectors and in pig meat, which were exceptionally affected by the two animal diseases.

The decision follows formal requests from Italy, according to the Commission statement published by Agenzia Giornalistica Opinione. Brussels will pay eligible producers a total divided between the two sectors, with the larger share going to poultry and eggs.

Two disease events, two envelopes

• €61 million for poultry and egg farmers, covering avian influenza outbreaks between September 2022 and March 2025.
• €12.5 million for pig meat farmers, covering African swine fever outbreaks between November 2024 and April 2025.

The poultry and egg allocation therefore accounts for more than 80% of the package and spans roughly two and a half years of outbreaks. The pig meat envelope compensates a far shorter window of six months, from November 2024 to April 2025, which points to a concentrated cluster of African swine fever cases rather than a prolonged epidemic wave.

Both diseases impose costs well beyond direct animal losses. Containment normally involves culling on affected holdings, movement restrictions inside surveillance zones and, in the case of African swine fever, import bans or regional restrictions applied by trading partners. The Commission statement does not quantify the losses incurred by Italian producers over the periods covered, nor the number of holdings involved.

Payments must reach farmers by May 2027

The support is financed through the agricultural reserve. National authorities must ensure that farmers receive the money quickly and that the aid is distributed by 31 May 2027 at the latest, the Commission said. Eligibility checks and disbursement are therefore handled in Rome, and the pace of payment — not the size of the envelope — will determine how much of the money reaches farms while they are still deciding whether to restock.

Hansen in Italy for the AVEC assembly

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen was in Italy on the day the allocation was confirmed, meeting Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests. Hansen was also set to deliver an opening address at the general assembly of AVEC, the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU, and to take part in further discussions on how best to support European farmers in the sector, according to the Commission.

A reserve of at least €450 million a year

The Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027 includes an agricultural reserve of at least €450 million per year to address market disturbances or exceptional events affecting production or distribution. The Italian package uses roughly 16% of that annual minimum in a single decision, an indication of how quickly animal disease compensation can draw on a buffer that also has to absorb weather-driven crises.

Citing the increasing frequency of adverse climatic events, the Commission said it has stressed the importance of strengthening risk management tools and promoting their wider use across the EU, together with proactive measures to address root causes and improve the resilience of farms. For processors and traders, that signals a policy direction in which insurance, mutual funds and prevention are expected to carry more of the burden currently falling on ad hoc reserve payouts.