We participated in the Mare Balticum form

Maira Dzelzkalēja Burmistre and Zanda Melnalksne participated in the Agroforum Mare Balticum on 18-20 April. This time the conference had a strategic policy-making format, where presentations were made by lecturers from the EC, the European Parliament, the Estonian Ministry of Rural Life, FAO and other high-level politicians. During the conference, in an informal atmosphere, we discussed the current affairs of the agricultural sector in Latvia with Jerzy Bogdan Plewa, Head of the EC Directorate-General for Agriculture, and Czesław Adam Siekierski, Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
Opening the conference, the rector of the University of Tartu emphasized the reality of the current situation, when city dwellers have become very distant from the countryside. The rector pointed out that a person without roots is like a homeless person. He does not know where he comes from and where he is going. Today, many city dwellers do not know where and how food grows, have not been near a live cow. They do not realize that fresh air also comes from the countryside. The goods we use every day come from the countryside – sheets, dishes, etc. We must tell the farmers who produce all this. However, what happens most often is that various illogical demands are made up, without knowing the real situation in the countryside at all and without thinking about how the farmers will be able to implement these demands in life. Therefore, dialogue and conversation are necessary, meetings are necessary so that both sides can get to know and understand each other as much as possible.
During the conference, the following aspects were identified as current issues in the EU that affect the further development of agriculture:

BREXIT process
EU budget audit and CAP simplification
Refugee flows in Europe
The intrusion of foreign capital into our markets.
Ensuring quality food
Climate, weather influences
High social inequality
Prices in the markets are falling, Europe can control it less and less
External competition is increasing
Agriculture is industrializing
Higher standards also lead to higher costs
Vertical integration in the market is important, increasing its importance
Universities and research will play a major role in the development of a smart agricultural sector.
The issue of renewable energy will be important for agriculture, especially in relation to ensuring energy independence.
Soils in the Baltics are not rich, which means farmers need more support