€21.5m in EU farm crisis funds headed to three member states

EU countries have given the go-ahead for the sending of €21.5m from the European Commission’s farm crisis funding pot to farmers in Bulgaria, Estonia and Hungary to help deal with adverse 2025 weather conditions.

The Commission said that these three countries can top up the EU funds to the tune of 200% with national funding and that payments should issue to affected farmers by the end of September.

Farmers there witnessed “significant damages and suffered economic losses due to adverse climatic events and natural disasters,” the Commission said.

In 2025, Bulgaria had seen severe drought from mid-June to late August that hit sunflower and maize growers particularly bad, while Estonia had spring frost that was followed by a wet growing season for wheat, rape and field vegetables.

Hungary suffered from extreme summer heat and water shortages that affected sweetcorn, melons, sorghum and maize.

The three countries will have to notify the Commission of the criteria that will be used to determine whether individual farmers are due aid, the intention of any scheme on the table using the EU crisis funds and the level of any additional support that is to be provided at national level.

This correspondence is also to include an account of the actions that they took to avoid overcompensating farmers for any losses suffered.

Crisis funding

The agricultural reserve is funded through the CAP, with up to €450m available each year to compensate farmers dealing with crises.

The funding is gathered by collecting a small cut off each farmer's direct payment each year and returning any of these funds that go unused.

The fund covers market volatility, disease outbreaks and adverse weather conditions.

The 2028-2034 CAP proposals brought forward by the Commission last year would look to increase the overall funding pot available for the EU’s farmers with ringfenced crisis funds of €900m per year.