Farmers from all three Baltic countries demand fair support

On June 16, representatives of farmers' organizations from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia addressed their national leaders in an open letter, calling on them to use the next multiannual budget of the European Union to ensure a swift recovery from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to end long-standing inequalities among farmers in the European Union.

Farmers across Europe provide citizens with high-quality and healthy food. At the same time, we are witnessing increasing price volatility, climate instability and politically-motivated crises, as well as various other disruptions that threaten our food security.

The new multiannual budget proposed by the European Commission is a step in the right direction. Farmers particularly welcome the increase in rural development funding. Unfortunately, it must be admitted that the additional money will only guarantee funding for Baltic farmers at the current level, and will not take into account the challenges arising from the implementation of the “Green Deal” and the unequal conditions of competition. However, it is unacceptable for Baltic farmers that, after more than 15 years since joining the EU, the European Commission has not envisaged a serious equalization of direct payments between the Member States, continuing to leave the Baltics in the last place.

Since joining the EU in 2004, farmers in all three Baltic countries have received the lowest direct payments in the European Union. Currently, they are only 60–75% of the European average. At the same time, our production costs are much higher than the EU average – 129% (Estonia), 112% (Lithuania) and 113% (Latvia), respectively. For this reason, our income is much more dependent on market fluctuations than in other countries.

Seven years ago, in February 2013, the European Council unanimously agreed that “by 2020 at the latest, all Member States should achieve at least EUR 196 per hectare in current prices”. Since then, we have systematically received no more than 60-751 million euros of the European average direct payments. Despite our constant calls, the European Commission pretends not to hear us, which is why Baltic farmers are drawing the attention of their national leaders that without additional funding, the Baltic States may no longer be able to set an example in the context of sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture in the future.

As we work on a new budget to support Europe's recovery, this is a unique opportunity to correct a historical injustice. Agriculture is a key factor in getting out of this crisis, which is why farmers are calling for increased funding for both CAP funds, with a particular focus on equalising direct payments between Member States. We cannot allow the European food chain to collapse.

Farmers in the Baltic States are asking their leaders to ensure that the next multi-annual budget includes ambitious equalisation payments and stop treating Baltic farmers as second-class citizens. Farmers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are equal EU citizens.