Médio Tejo municipalities seek to join wild boar control pilot project

The 11 municipalities comprising the Médio Tejo Intermunicipal Community (CIM) in the Santarém district have expressed a collective interest in participating in a Portuguese government pilot project designed to control wild boar populations.

Manuel Jorge Valamatos, president of the CIM and mayor of Abrantes, stated that while the severity of the issue varies across different municipalities, the presence of wild boars is a widespread concern for residents and local businesses. The municipalities have signaled their readiness to collaborate with the government to help develop a regulatory model that could potentially be implemented in other regions.

Minister of Agriculture and Sea, José Manuel Fernandes, recently announced that the government is preparing this pilot program, which includes provisions for financial compensation for each wild boar culled in areas identified as having excessive population densities.