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12 October 2026

Good morning. Seeds bound for the Arctic, a ship built for the deep Atlantic and a carob seed that gave us the carat: here is a calm look at sustainable Portugal today.

Sea, science and seeds

Portugal sends 334 more crop samples to Svalbard seed vault

Agriculture Secretary of State João Moura will attend a deposit ceremony at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway on 13 October. Portugal is adding 334 accessions: 303 of common bean, 18 of cowpea and 13 of maize. It is the country's fifth delivery since 2018, bringing its total to 1,861 accessions held as backup copies in the Arctic. The seeds come from the national germplasm bank run by INIAV. The institute also takes part in a century-long seed longevity experiment, and since 2023 Portugal has sat on the vault's advisory board.

Food & AgricultureMore on this story →

Azores research ship Azores Ocean could be paid for through competitive science funding

Gui Menezes, director of the OKEANOS marine research institute, says winning funding for science projects is one way to pay for running the Azores Ocean, the Azores' newest research vessel. Another option, used in other countries, is for the Government and the University to set aside a budget for temporary use of the ship, with projects bidding for it. The vessel can work at depths of up to 5,000 metres, stay at sea longer in rough weather than its predecessor, and carries a multibeam sonar and a remotely operated submersible. A trial campaign will come first, to train crews on unfamiliar equipment.

AzoresEcosystems & BiodiversityRead more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

Azores president presents archipelago as sustainability and innovation leader at Lisbon forum

Azores regional president José Manuel Bolieiro told a Lisbon forum, where Barack Obama was the main speaker, that the islands have turned their remoteness into an advantage. He pointed to new weather radars on São Miguel and Flores funded by Portugal's recovery plan, a climate observatory tracking greenhouse gases, and a network of marine protected areas covering about 287,000 square kilometres. He also cited a marine research hub on Faial, a new research vessel, the space sector on Santa Maria and a 2026 EarthCheck Gold certification for sustainable tourism.

AzoresEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

On the move

Minho coast joins 11,000 km Atlantic cycle route linking Portugal to Norway

The Minho coast is part of EuroVelo 1, an Atlantic cycling corridor of about 11,000 kilometres running through six countries. The AtlanticOnBike project behind it cost over €5.1 million, around €3.9 million of it from the EU's Interreg Atlantic Area programme. Its methodology estimates roughly 10.5 million cyclists use the route each year, generating at least €198 million annually for accommodation, restaurants and local businesses. The project has produced a shared brand, marketing strategy and signage manuals, and is a RegioStars finalist, with public voting open until Wednesday morning.

NorteEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Diário do Minho ↗

Leiria region to get its first electric intercity buses by year-end

The public transport concessionaire has announced that electric intercity buses will begin running in the Leiria region by the end of the year. They will be the first of their kind there. The announcement follows an agreement signed with the Intermunicipal Community (CIM).

CentroEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at The Portugal News ↗

Government confirms Santo Ovídio station as first high-speed rail works begin

Construction of the first stretch of the Porto–Lisbon high-speed line, between Campanhã and Oiã, starts on Monday. The 71-kilometre section, costing about €2 billion, includes a new Douro bridge, a reworked Campanhã station and a station at Santo Ovídio in Vila Nova de Gaia, which the Government has restated. Last year the consortium had sought to relocate that station to Vilar do Paraíso, but the environment agency rejected the change in December and the original plan was restored. The full line is due to link the two cities in 1h15 by 2032.

NorteEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at Diário de Aveiro ↗

First high-speed rail expropriations begin in Aveiro district, hitting over 1,000 land parcels

The first expropriations for the Porto–Lisbon high-speed rail line are moving ahead in the Aveiro district. More than 1,000 land parcels are affected across three municipalities, along a 15.5-kilometre stretch that runs beside the A1 motorway.

CentroEnergy, Water & MobilityRead more at The Portugal News ↗

Farming and food

São Miguel milk beats EU hygiene limits as lab testing rises by half

Milk produced on São Miguel, in the Azores, is well inside EU hygiene limits. Somatic cells averaged 229,000 per millilitre in 2025 against a ceiling of 400,000, and total microorganisms have stayed between 15,500 and 17,300 against a limit of 100,000. Antibiotic detection is now residual. A €2.8 million lab funded by the recovery plan has lifted testing from about 981,000 analyses in 2024 to 1.31 million in 2025, with roughly 1.5 million expected this year. The next challenge is raising fat and protein levels, which the market now wants, while keeping cows on pasture year-round. New projects aim to spot mastitis earlier and guide feeding.

AzoresFood & AgricultureRead more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

Portuguese fruit and vegetable sector sets record turnout at Fruit Attraction Madrid

Portugal Fresh, the association promoting Portuguese fruit and vegetables abroad, took the largest Portuguese delegation yet to the Fruit Attraction trade fair in Madrid, held from 6 to 8 October. The stand covered 1,000 square metres and brought together 50 organisations, 32 of them from primary production. More than 200 people attended a business dinner organised with Crédito Agrícola, a partner since the association was founded. Portugal was also promoted at the entrance to Pavilion 8 in partnership with AICEP. The agriculture minister, the CAP president and several other officials and retail buyers attended.

Food & AgricultureRead more at Agroportal ↗

Agricultural publisher Voz do Campo plans new formats ahead of its 30th anniversary

Voz do Campo, a family-owned Portuguese agricultural media company, is planning new projects and platforms after covering Fruit Attraction in Madrid, its first trip abroad with a live multi-camera production. Executive and communications director João Gomes says the group now offers far more than a magazine, with reports, podcasts and digital content. He plans a programme showcasing the year's work and keeps technical and scientific coverage a priority through the AgroCiência section of its monthly magazine. Supported at the fair by Portugal Fresh, the company wants to return in 2027, the year it turns 30.

Food & AgricultureRead more at Voz do Campo ↗

Évora to host regional forum on food security and nutrition on 20 October

The Alentejo Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) is holding an open event on food and nutrition security at its Évora auditorium on 20 October, starting at 2pm. It forms part of the rollout of the National Food and Nutrition Security Strategy and is aimed at agri-food stakeholders, interested bodies and the general public. The programme includes a presentation of the national strategy, local case studies, round tables on production and consumption challenges and on the role of inter-municipal communities, and participatory workshops on production, consumption and health. The CCDR wants to strengthen ties between public bodies, producers, scientists and civil society.

AlentejoFood & AgricultureMore on this story →

Needs attention

Environmental group backs new Lousada landfill cell because it will take no organic waste

Environmental association ZERO has given a favourable opinion on RIMA's plan for a new cell at its non-hazardous waste landfill in Lousada. The cell will not accept organic waste, which ZERO identifies as by far the main cause of problems at landfills. That makes the site one of the few in Portugal complying with the landfill legislation, which bans unstabilised organic waste. ZERO says most landfills ignore that ban, in force since 2020, and names several in the North region, including Ambisousa's next door in Lousada, Braval, Suldouro, Resinorte, Resulima and Valorminho.

NorteProducts, Consumption & CircularMore on this story → View project: ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável →

JPP says Madeira farmers wait over a year for irrigation water contracts

Madeira's Juntos Pelo Povo party says some farmers in the region have been waiting more than a year for their irrigation water contracts. Party leader Élvio Sousa called the delays unacceptable and blamed those who manage irrigation water for obstructing farming. He argued that the regional water and waste company, ARM, should put agriculture at the heart of its priorities. His proposals are to clear the backlog of pending cases, set deadlines so no farmer is left months without an answer, and simplify the procedures involved.

MadeiraFood & AgricultureRead more at JM Madeira ↗

Close to home

Lisbon begins handing over first affordable homes in Marvila

Lisbon City Hall has started handing over keys to the first 60 homes in a block of 132 affordable housing units built in the Marvila district. The municipality puts the cost of the development at around €15 million. The remaining units in the block are still to follow.

LisbonConstruction & HousingRead more at The Portugal News ↗

Ponta Delgada council backs free tourist trails for all 24 parishes

A recommendation approved unanimously in Ponta Delgada calls for free tourist routes through the municipality's parishes, open to every business and listed on the Visit Ponta Delgada portal and the municipal app. A promotional campaign would target the low season. It also proposes extending the Digital Commercial Quarter and Marketplace beyond the centre, and surveying local heritage with parish councils, associations, businesses and residents, seeking Açores 2030 funding. The text cites falling overnight stays in 2026 and a weaker domestic market, which hit small businesses outside the urban core hardest.

AzoresEducation & Eco-tourismRead more at Açoriano Oriental ↗

Ponte de Lima health fair brings professionals and visitors together on wellbeing

A health and wellbeing fair took place in Ponte de Lima, bringing together professionals, organisations and visitors with the shared aim of encouraging healthier ways of living. Over the course of the event, attendees could find out about services, explore possible solutions and speak directly with those running projects focused on physical and mental health.

NorteHealth & WellbeingRead more at Alto Minho ↗

Small wonders and good walks

Alentejo Walking Festival returns with 50 free guided walks across the region

The third Alentejo Walking Festival begins on 29 October, aiming to establish the region as a walking destination. On 31 October and 1 November, municipalities across the Alentejo will host 50 walks under the banner "Todo o Alentejo a Caminhar", many with guided interpretation of the landscape and accompanying cultural activities. Routes cross natural scenery, heritage sites and villages. Participation is free but registration is compulsory, open until 5.30pm on 28 October via each route's page on the festival website. Beyond the walks, the programme includes a conference in Gavião on managing footpaths, a sales workshop for operators in Nisa, and trips for national tourism professionals and international journalists.

AlentejoEducation & Eco-tourismMore on this story →

How the carob seed gave jewellers the word and unit 'carat'

The carob tree, common in the Algarve's Barrocal and said to come from Mesopotamia, left a mark on the language of precious metals. Its seeds were long treated as a uniform weight for weighing gold. The Greek word for the small seed, kerátion, passed through Arabic as qīrāt and became 'quilate' in Portuguese and 'carat' in English and French. Today a carat is fixed at 0.2 grams for gemstones, while for gold it measures purity on a 24-point scale, where 18 carats means 75% gold. The scale echoes a small Roman silver coin, one twenty-fourth of the gold solidus.

AlgarveFood & AgricultureRead more at Jornal do Algarve ↗
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