Portugal's health directorate makes daily pulses mandatory in school meals
The Directorate-General of Health has issued its 2026 guidelines for school menus and canteens in mainland Portugal, drawn up with the national healthy-eating programme and the EduQA institute. Pulses must now appear in every school meal, in the soup or the main course, and salt is capped at 0.2 grams per 100 grams of food, using iodised salt only. Sweet desserts are limited to once a month, and wholegrain rice and pasta must feature in at least a quarter of monthly meals. Plant-based meals are recommended two to four times a month. The group ProVeg Portugal welcomed the changes and offers free support to implement them.
EU soil project offers up to €27,000 to Beira Interior livestock farmers
The EU-funded GroundWork project has opened a call for livestock farmers in Portugal's Beira Interior to test regenerative grazing. Up to seven farms will be chosen, each receiving as much as €27,000 over 36 months, plus technical and scientific support, mentoring and training. Applicants must graze animals, speak Portuguese and be within 200 kilometres of Herdade Monte Silveira in Ladoeiro. Selected farms join the Beira Interior Living Lab, trialling rotational grazing, bale grazing and silvopastoral systems against drought, erosion and degraded soils. Applications close on 19 November 2026, and an information webinar is scheduled for 28 October.
Irrigation body demands funding and deadlines as minister reopens water-efficiency grants
At its national irrigation congress in Beja, the irrigation technology centre COTR argued that the "Água que Une" water strategy must come with funded, scheduled and assigned investments. The agriculture minister announced that grants for water-efficiency investment will reopen, and the agriculture directorate said the National Irrigation Council will be revived, aiming to meet by the end of October. A first national barometer found average water use in four crops at 84% of the Alentejo reference. Projections suggest irrigation needs could rise by up to 27.5% by century's end.
Alvito hosts almond-grove seminar, tree planting and nut cookery demonstration
Alvito municipality and the CEBAL agri-food biotechnology centre are staging a one-day event on Thursday, 22 October, on the Alentejo almond grove as regional farming heritage. A morning seminar at the Cultural Centre, free but requiring registration, brings together researchers, growers and industry representatives to discuss cultivation systems, sustainability, plant health, nutrition, by-product use and innovation. Speakers come from the national dried-fruit competence centre, the Beja and Bragança polytechnics, Portugal Nuts and Trevo. In the afternoon, autumn fruit trees are planted at the Parque de Encontros, followed by a showcooking session with chef João Mourato at the Escola Profissional de Alvito.
Seventh TalentA programme opens applications for women entrepreneurs in rural Portugal
Corteva Agriscience and the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers (CAP) have opened applications for the seventh Portuguese edition of TalentA, a programme backing women who start businesses in the countryside. The winning project receives €5,000, while the three finalists get specialised training, professional advice and promotion. Applications run until 31 January 2027, through the programme's website, and winners will be announced in March 2027. Launched in 2019, TalentA targets obstacles such as limited access to finance and training. Last year's winner, Anabela Seabra, makes KÓFI, a caffeine-free coffee alternative from Portuguese lupin.
Alentejo farm training survey seeks to match courses to labour needs
A regional survey has been launched under LIMA Alentejo, the agricultural mobility laboratory based in the municipality of Beja, to find out what training farm businesses need. The aim is to bring the training on offer closer to conditions on the ground and to better prepare the workforce for the sector's current challenges. The laboratory is also designed to link farms short of labour with migrant workers, combining technology, vocational training and social support. An online questionnaire is open to farm owners, farm managers and livestock holding managers across the Alentejo. The answers will be used to map training needs and shape the laboratory's action plan.
Young farmers' association urges growers to answer national farm structure survey
Statistics Portugal (INE) is running its 2026 Farm Structure Survey, and the Association of Young Farmers (AJAP) is calling on farmers whose holdings are picked to take part. The survey gathers data on how Portuguese farms are made up and how the sector is changing, feeding into the assessment of agricultural policy. AJAP argues reliable figures matter all the more given an ageing farming population and the need to bring in younger generations. It says the results could help design better support for young people starting out in agriculture.
CAP chief says disease prevention and technology are livestock's competitive edge
Luís Mira, secretary-general of the CAP farmers' confederation, moderated a roundtable on animal health at the PecuárIA Congress. He argues that preventing disease costs far less than treating it once established, and that digitalisation, virtual fencing, sensors and artificial intelligence can help herd management, especially in extensive systems, provided producers are trained and keep close contact with their animals. On bluetongue, he says vaccination strategy must follow the science, while weighing vaccine costs, storage and possible export-market implications. Producers, he adds, still lack clear guidance on whether to vaccinate.
Food security reframed as a European sovereignty and geopolitical issue
The EU remains the world's largest agrifood exporter, selling about €238 billion in 2025 with a surplus of roughly €50 billion. But imports are growing faster than exports, and the bloc relies on global supply chains for fertilisers, energy, animal feed protein and commodities such as coffee and cocoa. Drawing on the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and export restrictions, the author argues that food now works as a tool of foreign policy, as China, the US and Russia treat it. Europe, he says, should prioritise productive capacity through precision agriculture, AI and robotics, not cut output and import more.
EU institutions strike provisional deal revising organic farming rules
The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on a targeted revision of the EU organic production regulation, with the revised law due to be adopted before the end of 2026. The deal keeps equivalence arrangements with non-EU countries in place until 2036, which should avoid disruption to trade. Exemptions allowing non-organic protein feed for pigs and poultry, and non-organic juveniles in aquaculture, are extended. Farm lobby groups Copa and Cogeca welcomed the outcome but said the feed exemption goes further than they wanted, and they called for ongoing dialogue as secondary legislation is drawn up.
World Food Day 2026 theme calls for innovation, with Madeira's local produce in focus
World Food Day, marked on 16 October, carries the 2026 theme "Innovating today, feeding tomorrow". The commentary argues that innovation covers better ways to produce, store, distribute and consume food, not only new technology. Despite ample production, millions go hungry while diet-related health problems grow. Practical suggestions include planning meals, buying seasonal produce, using leftovers and relying on pulses, eggs and soup. For Madeira, it highlights local farming, terraced fields and seasonal foods as assets worth backing. It also urges families, schools, farmers, businesses and institutions to act together to cut food waste and protect natural resources.
