The European Union has approved €73m in emergency funding for Italian livestock farmers affected by animal disease, including almost €61m for poultry and egg producers hit by avian influenza.
The funding, drawn from the EU’s agricultural reserve, will compensate producers for losses linked to outbreaks between September 2022 and March 2025.
The European Commission said the support would cover losses that cannot be compensated through other measures, with the Italian authorities responsible for distributing the payments to affected farmers.
A further €12.5m has been allocated to Italian pig producers affected by African swine fever between November 2024 and April 2025.
The poultry allocation is intended to address indirect losses associated with disease-control measures, including prolonged sanitary downtime, extended production cycles, early slaughter of breeding birds and the downgrading or destruction of eggs and poultry products.
Payments to affected farmers are required to be made by 31 May 2027.