From now on, it will be possible to remove overgrowth from agricultural land without bureaucratic burdens

Today, February 12, at a meeting of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, amendments to the "Forest Law" were unanimously adopted in the second reading as an emergency measure, which is an important step to facilitate the return of overgrown agricultural land to production.

The amendments to the law provide that on land registered in the Real Estate State Cadastre Information System as agricultural land, trees will be able to be cut down in accordance with the regulations on cutting down trees outside the forest. It is expected that the law will come into force the day after its promulgation.

Juris Lazdins, Chairman of the Association "Farmers' Council": "We are pleased that today our work of more than half a year has resulted in success and in the future farmers will be able to remove vegetation from agricultural land without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. The amendments to the law will contribute to the achievement of the goals of the National Development Plan and the Rural Development Program - to achieve the involvement of two million hectares of agricultural land in production by 2020. Our next task will be to sit down at the negotiating table with the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture to develop solutions on how to return this land to agricultural production even faster and more successfully, thus expanding production opportunities for existing and new farmers and at the same time making the rural landscape more attractive to the public. Thank you to our farmers and municipalities for their active involvement in the work process, as well as to the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and For members of the Committee on National Economy, Agrarian, Environmental and Regional Policy for delving into the problem and participating in solving it.”

Raitis Ungurs, owner of the farm "Rosmes" from Koknese region: "I am pleased with the amendments to the Forest Law adopted by the Saeima today, which will simplify the return of land to production. I hope that in the future no one will allow ill-considered changes to the legislation and restrict the return of agricultural land to production. I also believe that the relevant state institutions should primarily consult and cooperate with farmers on many issues, rather than immediately resorting to punishment mechanisms."

We remind you that on January 1, 2015, the provisions of Article 3, Paragraph 2 of the "Forest Law" adopted four years ago came into force, which determined that a forest will be considered an area of 0.5 ha or more, on which a forest stand with an average height of trees of at least five meters has been formed. The entry into force of the norm created a complex bureaucratic and financial obstacle for landowners - farmers and hindered the return of land to production. Currently, the deadlines have been canceled and trees on agricultural land can be cut down in accordance with the regulatory enactments on cutting down trees outside the forest.

Press release: PRes_In the future, it will be possible to remove overgrowth from agricultural land without bureaucratic burden