Portuguese farmers demand drought aid

Hundreds of farmers, many of them on tractors, today staged a protest rally to demand more government help in coping with the country’s worst drought on record.

The Portuguese Farmers’ Confederation estimates agricultural losses so far at €2bn, mostly in southern Portugal.

Grassland for grazing and cereal crops have been hardest hit by the drought.

Authorities have said the yield from some cereal crops is less than half the annual average.

Producers say their livestock is dying because pastures are sparse and they can’t afford to buy feed.

The Agriculture Ministry said it is setting aside €425m in aid, but the farmers complain much of that amount is in the form of credit they won’t be able to repay.

The protest, in the farming town of Beja 90 miles south-east of Lisbon, was held in temperatures approaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) as the arid conditions continue into the autumn.

Hardly any rain has fallen in southern Portugal for a year.