Current information on ecologically sensitive perennial grasslands

Ecologically sensitive permanent grasslands (ESPGs) are grasslands that have been recognised as grassland habitats and bird habitats of EU importance, as they contain rare plants and are home to several protected bird species. ESPGs are also biologically valuable grasslands on agricultural land.

For the purpose of administering area payments, information on protected EJIZ areas is included in the Rural Support Service (RSS) Rural Register Information System (https://karte.lad.gov.lv/). This information is collected and updated annually. updated, based on data from the Nature Conservation Authority (DAP).

The owner or manager is obliged to preserve the EJIZ area, which is recorded in the RSS Rural Register Information System on December 31, 2017, in this and subsequent years, and it is prohibited to separate or convert it into land with a different type of use.

The new EJIZ areas, which have been recorded in the RSS rural register information system until February 1, 2018, are also subject to the obligation to preserve them and the prohibition to separate or convert them into land with a different type of use, if the relevant area is still occupied by grassland until February 1 of this year, it was not separated or its type of use has not changed in the autumn of 2017.

If a farmer has ploughed up an EJIZ area, which was first recorded in the RSS Rural Register Information System by February 1 of this year, in the autumn of 2017 or converted it into land with a different type of use, the farmer must inform the DAP about this no later than March 30, 2018. The DAP, taking into account the information provided by the farmer, will specify the EJIZ status and boundaries of the specific field, if necessary, by conducting a field inspection.

However, if the farmer has not notified the DAP about the separated or converted field by March 30, the relevant field will retain the EJIZ status and this area will be prohibited from being separated and converted into land for other purposes in the future.

DAP has already informed in writing those landowners and managers on whose property grasslands were surveyed in 2017 and EJIZ was detected. More information is available here: http://www.skaitamdabu.gov.lv/public/lat/jautajumi_un_atbildes/.

If a farmer has applied for area payments and fulfilled the conditions, the farmer will receive a single area payment and a greening payment for the EJIZ area. In turn, for EJIZ, which can also be a biologically valuable grassland and will be applied for RDP support as a biologically valuable grassland, the following payments will be received in 2018: for a class 1 productive grassland or bird habitat – 83 euros, for a class 2 productive grassland – 155 euros, for a class 3 productive grassland – 206 euros, for a class 4 productive grassland – 330 euros.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture

The image shows the ecologically sensitive permanent grasslands recorded in the Latvian Agricultural Land Register information system.