Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen is in Sorrento, Italy, where he will meet Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida. While there, he will also deliver a keynote speech at the General Assembly meeting of the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU (AVEC), and participate in a panel discussion on ‘Building the Future of the EU Poultry Sector Through Innovation’.

This visit comes as Member States agreed on the Commission’s proposal to provide €73 million to Italy from the agricultural reserve to help compensate farmers in areas affected by outbreaks of avian flu and African swine fever (ASF).

A total of €61 million will be provided for poultry and egg farmers in areas affected by avian flu outbreaks between September 2022 and March 2025, while €12.5 million will be provided for pigmeat farmers in areas affected by ASF outbreaks between 1 November 2024 and 30 April 2025. The support will help compensate farmers for losses resulting from measures taken to control and prevent the spread of these animal diseases. The payments, financed by the EU agricultural reserve, must be made to farmers by the end of May next year.

This support demonstrates the EU’s ongoing commitment to helping farmers in the context of animal disease outbreaks, while supporting the resilience and competitiveness of the European eggs and poultry as well as pigmeat sectors.