Regional Government changes support for stone walls and crop protection in Madeira

The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Fisheries has published Ordinance No. 526/2026 of September 15, which makes the first amendment to Ordinance No. 381/2026. This regulation establishes the application regime for Intervention F.1.7 - Non-productive investments, under the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 (PEPAC) for the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

The support, granted at 100% of the eligible investment and in the form of a non-repayable grant, is divided into two specific actions:

• Action F.1.7.1 - Investment in walls incorporating exposed stone: Aims at the construction, repair, or cladding of terrace retaining walls, with the objective of consolidating the traditional agricultural landscape.
• Action F.1.7.2 - Crop protection systems against protected species: Aims to finance the acquisition and installation of equipment to protect crops from species such as the Trocaz pigeon (Columba trocaz), including cover nets, holographic tapes, and bird scarers.

Farmers (individuals or collectives), producer organizations, and groups of farmers can apply for this support, provided they meet eligibility criteria, including ownership of a registered agricultural holding and location in areas of action of the protected species, for the second action.

The regulation defines maximum support limits for application preparation and supervision expenses: up to €2,500 (3% of cost) for walls and up to €600 (3% of cost) for protection systems. For monitoring and supervision, the limits are €5,000 (5%) and €1,000 (5%), respectively.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the PEPAC R.A. Madeira Portal (portalpepac.madeira.gov.pt). Each beneficiary can submit a maximum of two applications per action, and a new application can only be submitted after the full completion and payment of the previous operation.

The ordinance enters into force on the day following its publication.