He arrived and departed by helicopter, but he did not take the hoe. Prime Minister António Costa was this morning in the village of Vermelhos, near Ameixial, in the municipality of Loulé, to see how the bushes are being cleared. The visit was short, but the head of Government still had time to meet Leonel Pereira, owner of 150 sapper goats, and Dona Almerinda, who insisted on greeting him.
As soon as he arrived, António Costa was surprised by the “greatness” of the municipality of Loulé. Vítor Aleixo, Mayor, promptly replied: “We are a kind of sample of the country”.
But more than just getting to know the vast county, António Costa's visit to the Algarve was "a symbolic gesture" to show how "we are all committed" to preventing fires, the head of Government told reporters.
For António Costa, who was accompanied on the visit by Capoulas Santos, Minister of Agriculture, neither should "devaluate the risks", nor be "paralyzed with fear". "When there is a risk, we must try to identify it, mitigate it and reduce it in order to increase everyone's safety."
“The best way to prevent it is, now, to reduce the risk of combustion. For this reason, the cleaning work, here in Vermelhos, an isolated village, is of the greatest importance,” he added. As a matter of fact, for António Costa, “extraordinary work has been done throughout the country”, both by the local authorities and by the private sector.
This morning's action brought together not only the Army, which was effectively clearing the woods all along, but also hunter associations, the Navy and the Civil Protection itself. This is "a good sign that, for the first time, there is a great national awareness of carrying out these works", stated António Costa.
Because, "the more we do now, the lesser the risk tomorrow," he added, alluding to the catastrophic fires of June and October last year.
It is certain that the small village of the Reds itself also knows very well what a large fire is. In 2004, the fire that devastated Serra do Caldeirão passed through there.
Also for this reason, Vítor Aleixo, mayor of Loulé, said he was "very satisfied with this government action", precisely "in an area that has already been harassed".
The initiative also served for the autarchy to present its Municipal Strategy for the Defense of Forests against Fires, within which it has done, for example, the improvement of forest paths, in addition to raising awareness, together with the owners, of the need clear the land until May 31st to avoid fines.
“There is an awakening in the country and Loulé has played its part, doing its best in this area. We have an involvement, which dates back to the past, with the Army, which has helped us with surveillance. The populations feel very secure and grateful,” he said.
One of the stars of António Costa's visit was Leonel Pereira. The prime minister had not yet arrived, as the Algarvean Miguel Freitas, Secretary of State for Forests and Rural Development, was exchanging words with him about… sapper goats, a project that the Government is wanting to implement.
Leonel Pereira owns 150 goats and, already with António Costa on the ground, he even exchanged impressions with the prime minister. «The cleaning that is out there is done by them. It was the traditional way of doing it», he explained, as the head of government listened attentively.
In addition to Leonel Pereira's land, the goats also clean properties owned by this producer's neighbors, but now the challenge is to increase the herd, with funding from the State for this purpose. For now, the 150 animals will, according to forecasts by Miguel Freitas, to clear around 100 hectares.
António Costa, who did not escape a few drops of rain, spoke of "hustle" to classify the cleaning work being carried out throughout the country, but the truth is that the word also serves to describe today's morning at the Reds . Many people took to the streets to see the "event": after all, it is not every day that the prime minister visits a village in the interior of the Algarve...
One of them was Dona Almerinda. Despite the difficulties in getting around, he got close to António Costa, made a point of greeting him and exchanging a few smiles with him. Minutes later, he confessed to the Sul Informação, how he had enjoyed meeting the prime minister.
“It is very important to clear the bushes. We were heavily battered by the fires and I still have memories of that. The marks remained», he concluded, smiling.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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