Amended regulations on fruit and vegetable producer organizations

The government approved amendments to the regulations of fruit and vegetable producer organizations on June 20. The amendments make changes to the procedure for granting temporary EU emergency support to fruit and vegetable producers, as well as to the regulations of fruit and vegetable producer organizations.

In order for Latvian fruit and vegetable producers to have the opportunity to make full use of the EU emergency support, the supported production volume should be redistributed between fruit and vegetable producer organisations and individual producers who are not members of producer organisations. By 30 June 2017, the volume of products eligible for support between producer organisations and individual producers who are not members of producer organisations will be as follows: for tomatoes and cucumbers, carrots – producer organisations – 400 tonnes, individual producers – 0 tonnes. In turn, for apples, pears, plums, blueberries, lingonberries, gooseberries, currants, blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, mulberries, cherries, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, cucumbers and tomatoes – producer organisations – 2771 tonnes, individual producers – 229 tonnes.

The amendments to the regulations set a monitoring period for producer organisation investments, which is five years after the receipt of the last support payment, as well as certain investment property rights when a producer organisation member leaves the producer organisation, stipulating that the investment must be returned to the producer organisation or the remaining investment value must be compensated by including it in the operational fund.

Rules “Amendments to the Cabinet of Ministers Regulation No. 361 of 14 June 2016 “Regulations on Fruit and Vegetable Producer Organizations”” shall enter into force upon their publication in the Official Gazette "Latvian Gazette".
 

Source: Ministry of Agriculture