Farmers' Parliament: We are disappointed in the government's promises

Today, on September 9, the Cabinet of Ministers rejected the information report of the Ministry of Agriculture, which would have given a guarantee that the government would provide for transitional state support (TSA) in the coming years. At present, such a decision is urgently needed so that at a time when procurement prices are falling dramatically, farmers can rely on at least this stable state support. The association “Farmers' Parliament” considers such an action unacceptable, because less than a month ago, during a meeting with farmers' organizations, the Prime Minister, together with former Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, promised support. We remind you that the negotiations on the multi-year budget ended with the fact that in 2015, 2016, and 2017, farmers will receive less support from the European Union than in 2012 and 2013. In order not to reduce the competitiveness of Latvian producers, Valdis Dombrovskis obtained permission to compensate for this shortfall from the national budget.

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Juris Lazdins, Chairman of the Association "Farmers' Council": "On August 18, when farmers' organizations met with Prime Minister Laimdota Straujums and discussed the current situation in agriculture, we agreed on transitional state support for the next three years. We also agreed during the meeting that the Ministry of Agriculture would prepare an information report for the government. Today, the project was presented at the Cabinet meeting, to which the Prime Minister pointed out that the report is not supportable and the problem should be resolved in the context of the 2015 budget. I believe that forgetting what was promised in such a short period of time is very incorrect. At the moment, it seems that farmers can only rely on themselves and not count on state support. It is sad that the government does not take any responsibility for the future of the agricultural sector before the elections and leaves such important decisions for producers to future statesmen."

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We remind you that on August 18, representatives of the Farmers' Parliament, the Latvian Association of Agricultural Cooperatives and the Farmers' Organizations Cooperation Council met with Prime Minister Laimdota Straujums to discuss the role of state support in Latvian agriculture. During the meeting, an agreement was reached to maintain state support at least at the 2013 level and to provide for transitional state support in accordance with the European Commission's guidelines, so that Latvian farmers can compete with farmers from other European Union member states. The Prime Minister's promise in August did not ensure that the PPVA would fully compensate for the low direct payments, but at least in 2015 and 2016 they would not decrease.