Baltic farmers continue talks with national leaders on EU multiannual budget

Representatives of Baltic farmers' organizations will continue to meet with their national leaders in early February. On Friday, February 1, they will meet with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, while on Monday, February 4, farmers from all three countries will meet with Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis. The meeting is taking place in accordance with the agreement reached by the Baltic farmers' organizations in mid-December - to meet jointly with the leaders of all three Baltic states, who are participating in the important negotiations, before the next European Council.

Latvian farmers will be represented in Tallinn by Maira Dzelzkalēja, Deputy Chairperson of the Farmers' Parliament, and Uldis Krievārs, Member of the Board of the Latvian Association of Agricultural Cooperatives. In addition to the above, our country will also be represented at the meeting with the Prime Minister of Latvia by Edgars Treibergs, Chairman of the Cooperation Council of Farmers' Organizations, and Armands Krauze, Deputy Chairperson. Lithuania will be represented by Andrejus Stančikas, Chairman of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture, and Bronius Markauskas, Deputy Chairperson, while Estonia will be represented by Romets Sormus, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, and Kauls Nurms, Secretary General of the Estonian Farmers' Federation. The meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis will take place on February 4 at 12:30, in the Prime Minister's Hall. A media opportunity is also planned after the meeting.

As reported, farmers in the Baltic States have previously agreed on a common position on the EU Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020. The farmers' position emphasizes the importance of food security, rural employment, and the development of a stable and future-proof agricultural sector. In the position, farmers in the Baltic States reiterate that the level of direct payments should be equal or almost equal to the EU average, starting from 1 January 2014, without a transition period. Farmers also demand adequate funding for both direct payments and rural development policies to promote sustainable growth of agriculture and rural areas. Rural development funding should be no less than in the current payment period in order to be able to significantly improve the agricultural infrastructure of the Baltic States.

Information prepared and additional information provided by EU Direct Payments Campaign Coordinator Sabīne Puķe, sabine.puke@llka.lv, +371 26340794