Key data
| Regulation | Law 5/2026, of May 20, on urgent measures to support the agricultural and forestry sector |
|---|---|
| Publication | July 18, 2026 |
| Entry into force | July 18, 2026 (immediate entry into force) |
| Affected parties | Farmers, livestock producers, forest owners and agricultural operations in Catalonia |
| Category | Agriculture and Fisheries |
| Origin | Converts Decree-law 21/2025 into ordinary law, expanding its original measures |
| Official source | BOE-A-2026-15679 |
Livestock farmers and agricultural producers in Catalonia with operations under health restrictions or in areas with forest fire risk have had a more favorable legal framework since July 18, 2026, thanks to Law 5/2026. This regulation converts Decree-law 21/2025 into ordinary law, expanding and consolidating urgent support measures for the Catalan agricultural and forestry sector in the face of climate and health crises.
The regulation acts on three simultaneous fronts: economic relief for farmers affected by notifiable diseases, administrative simplification for agricultural producers and reduction of obstacles for preventive forest management.
What does this regulation establish?
Law 5/2026 introduces a set of specific measures grouped into three areas:
| Area | Measure | Direct beneficiary |
|---|---|---|
| Livestock health | Exemption from payment of veterinary fees for health movement certificates in operations with health restrictions | Farmers with operations under health restriction |
| Livestock health | Specific aid for cattle farmers affected by bovine tuberculosis, compensating for economic losses resulting from mandatory health clearances | Cattle farmers affected by bovine tuberculosis |
| Forest management | Creation of priority protection perimeters and strategic infrastructure as new forest planning figures | Forest owners and administrations |
| Forest management | Simplification of administrative intervention in activities with fire risk | Forest owners and sector companies |
| Forest management | Exemption from urban planning license for water points intended for fire suppression | Forest owners and local administrations |
| Agriculture | Equivalence of digital farm record with fertilizer management book, eliminating administrative duplications | Farmers required to maintain farm record |
Regarding the origin of the regulation: Decree-law 21/2025 had already established urgent provisional measures. Law 5/2026 converts them into ordinary law with permanent character and expands their scope, providing greater legal certainty to beneficiaries.
Economic and operational impact
The most immediate impact occurs in cattle farming operations affected by bovine tuberculosis. A mandatory health clearance involves the total or partial loss of the herd by order of the veterinary authority, with the resulting economic damage that until now fell entirely on the farmer. The law creates a specific compensation mechanism for these situations.
Added to this is the elimination of veterinary fees for health movement certificates in operations with restrictions. These fees, which are generated each time an animal movement is processed under health control, represent a recurring cost that is eliminated while the restriction lasts.
In the forestry sector, administrative simplification reduces processing times and costs for preventive fire activities. The exemption from urban planning license for water points eliminates a procedure that could delay the installation of critical infrastructure for months.
For farmers, the equivalence of the digital farm record with the fertilizer management book eliminates the obligation to maintain two parallel records with equivalent information, reducing daily bureaucratic burden.
Who does it affect?
- Cattle farmers in Catalonia with operations affected by bovine tuberculosis or subject to mandatory health clearances.
- Holders of livestock operations with active health restrictions that generate obligation for movement certificates.
- Forest owners and managers in Catalonia who carry out activities with fire risk or need to install fire suppression infrastructure.
- Farmers required to maintain digital farm record and fertilizer management book simultaneously.
- Forest service companies that perform work subject to administrative intervention in fire risk areas.
- Local administrations and managing entities of forest infrastructure in Catalonia.
Practical example
A cattle farming operation in the Bages region receives an order for mandatory health clearance due to a bovine tuberculosis outbreak. Before Law 5/2026, the farmer assumed the entire economic loss of the eliminated herd, plus the cost of veterinary fees for each health movement certificate processed during the restriction period.
With the new law, this farmer:
- Is exempt from payment of veterinary fees for health movement certificates while the health restriction lasts.
- Can access specific aid for cattle farmers affected by bovine tuberculosis that compensates for economic losses resulting from mandatory health clearance.
In parallel, if that same owner has forest mass on their property and needs to install a water point for fire suppression, they will no longer need to request an urban planning license for that infrastructure, significantly speeding up the installation.
What should companies do now?
- Cattle farmers with active health restrictions: verify with the competent veterinary authority if their operation is included in the scope of the fee exemption and request the return or non-charging of fees already generated since entry into force.
- Farmers affected by health clearances due to bovine tuberculosis: contact the Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural of the Generalitat de Catalunya to learn about the procedure for requesting specific compensation aid.
- Farmers with digital farm record: verify with your agricultural advisor that the digital record already covers the requirements of the fertilizer management book, to stop maintaining the double record.
- Forest owners with water point projects: review if pending projects for urban planning license are now exempt and reactivate stalled proceedings.
- Forest service companies: review which activities with fire risk benefit from administrative simplification to adjust processing timelines in your projects.
Frequently asked questions
Which farmers are exempt from veterinary fees for movement certificates?
Holders of livestock operations that have active health restrictions. The exemption applies specifically to health movement certificates processed while such restriction lasts. It is not limited exclusively to cattle: the regulation refers to operations with health restrictions in general, although compensation aid for clearance is specifically directed at cattle affected by bovine tuberculosis.
How are aid applications for bovine tuberculosis submitted in Catalonia in 2026?
Law 5/2026 creates specific aid for cattle farmers affected by bovine tuberculosis who have suffered mandatory health clearances. The specific application procedure should be consulted with the Departament d'Acció Climàtica, Alimentació i Agenda Rural of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which is the competent body in animal health matters in Catalonia.
Does the digital farm record replace the fertilizer management book?
Yes. Law 5/2026 expressly equates the digital farm record with the fertilizer management book. This means that farmers who already maintain the digital record are not required to keep a separate fertilizer book record, eliminating administrative duplication.
What are the priority protection perimeters created by the law?
They are a new forest planning figure introduced by Law 5/2026 to strengthen fire prevention. Together with strategic infrastructure, they allow delimitation of areas where preferential forest management measures are applied. The regulation also simplifies administrative intervention in activities with fire risk within these perimeters.
When did Law 5/2026 enter into force and what is its relationship with Decree-law 21/2025?
Law 5/2026 entered into force on the same day as its publication: July 18, 2026. It converts Decree-law 21/2025, which was a provisional emergency regulation, into ordinary law. By becoming law, the measures acquire permanent character and are expanded from the original decree, providing greater legal certainty to beneficiaries.
Official source
Consult complete regulation in official source (BOE-A-2026-15679)
Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-15679