Portugal urges EU to fund shepherds behind ‘firefighting goats’ strategy

10:15

By: Azzat Manal

Portugal urges EU to fund shepherds behind ‘firefighting goats’ strategy

Portugal is calling on the European Union to help finance a traditional but increasingly important method of preventing wildfires: paying shepherds to graze goats, sheep and cattle in areas at high risk of fire.

Portuguese Agriculture Minister José Manuel Fernandes has argued that the country should not have to bear the full cost of a practice that contributes to wider European efforts to reduce the impact of increasingly severe wildfires. He has called for funding to be included in the EU’s long-term budget, allowing shepherds who manage grazing herds in vulnerable landscapes to receive financial support.

The approach, sometimes described as using “firefighting goats,” relies on controlled grazing to reduce the amount of dry vegetation available to fuel fires. Goats and other livestock consume grasses, shrubs and other combustible plants, helping to clear strips of land that can act as natural firebreaks and slow the advance of flames.

Although the concept is relatively simple, its effectiveness depends on regular and carefully managed grazing. Shepherds must guide the animals through designated areas and ensure that vegetation is sufficiently reduced without causing environmental damage. Their work therefore represents a significant operational cost, particularly in remote and mountainous regions where wildfire risks are high.

The European Commission has increasingly recognised preventive land-management practices as part of broader wildfire strategies. Controlled grazing can complement other measures, including vegetation clearance, forest management, fire monitoring and emergency response systems.

Scientists and land-management experts have also examined the role of livestock in reducing fire risk in Mediterranean landscapes. In parts of Spain, grazing programmes have been used to manage vegetation and create areas with lower fuel loads, potentially making it more difficult for fires to spread rapidly under extreme weather conditions.

Portugal has a particular interest in such measures because of its exposure to devastating wildfires. Hotter temperatures, prolonged droughts, dry vegetation and changing weather patterns have increased the vulnerability of large parts of southern Europe to destructive fires.

The proposal comes after another difficult wildfire season across several European countries, including Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece. Repeated emergencies have placed pressure on national firefighting services while causing significant damage to forests, agricultural land, homes and infrastructure.

For Portugal, European financial support for preventive grazing would represent a shift toward investing more heavily in reducing fire risks before flames emerge rather than relying primarily on emergency intervention once fires have begun. Lisbon argues that because wildfires can affect air quality, biodiversity, economies and climate resilience across borders, prevention should also be treated as a shared European responsibility.

The proposal highlights how traditional agricultural practices can become part of modern climate adaptation strategies. By combining livestock grazing with professional land management, authorities hope to reduce the accumulation of highly flammable vegetation while supporting rural communities and preserving landscapes.

If adopted on a broader European scale, financial support for shepherds could provide a relatively low-tech tool alongside increasingly sophisticated wildfire detection and firefighting systems. Portugal is therefore seeking to turn an age-old practice into a more structured component of Europe’s long-term wildfire prevention policy.