In the event of a noise, Minister Kęstutis Navickas started looking for a way out, as it became clear that some citizens may have to destroy huge investments or look for land elsewhere in order to “rebuild” the meadows.
One of such “hangers” is Robertas Audėjas, who planted a plantation of hazelnuts and walnuts in the barren lands around Molėtai. The anxious man is waiting for February, when the final answer will be given on what to do with the meadows, as so far he has only sent a message to the NMA requiring them to turn bent trees again instead of trees. One of the arguments for taking action was that the abandoned land was threatened with fines.
The ministry will check
“There are inaccuracies in the map of plowed meadows that need to be corrected, and we receive information from farmers about atypical cases where the requirement to restore meadows would be illogical. As a result, we have obliged the NPA to systematize problematic cases and together we will assess them, ”notes Egidijus Giedraitis, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, according to a press release issued by the Ministry.
NMA at the end of last year 30 thousand. farmers sent letters informing them that they might need to restore the plowed meadows. The list of recipients of the letters was compiled automatically, regardless of the individual situation of the farmers – only the fact that the area of meadows declared by the applicant had decreased during the last two years was assessed.
These letters were of general information nature – the NPA is obliged to provide such information to farmers in accordance with the European Union regulation, although there is no final decision on whether the plowed meadows will need to be restored – Lithuania is waiting for a response from the European Commission.
The map published by the NMA shows all areas where no areas of perennial grassland remain. The NMA calculates that only about half the area will need to be restored, and this is not necessarily the case meadows plowed – this can be done in another area or by declaring completely new grassland areas.
All farmers who have previously received notifications that they may need to restore plowed grassland will be re-informed individually whether they will need to restore grassland, taking into account all cases and possible exceptions.
It is estimated that out of 30 thousand. half of the applicants who may need to restore grassland are asked to restore no more than one hectare. Failure to do so, depending on the proportion of perennial grassland plowed, would no longer receive a new greening payment only for the non-restored area (less than EUR 70 per ha), and for those who need more than 3 ha to restore, the total greening payment will be reduced percent).
Walnut
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Awaiting decision
However, R. Audėjas himself is anxiously waiting for February, when the final decision will be made on how and who will have to restore the meadows.
“It simply came to our notice then. The ministry says it will look for a solution to make exceptions because we have invested heavily. In addition, the storage of meadows is anox farming. And when we started real farming, we immediately got it through our heads, even though we had given support before, ”says R. Audėjus.
He did not receive support for the establishment of the young farmer, only declared the crops. But the NMA paid neatly for the first acres of barren land. All other investments out of their own money – the fact that the meadows were plowed up and the garden planted there declared.
Inferior piles grew on the plot, stumps had to be cleared and ponds had to be dug. The whole cost of setting up a couple of hectares of garden cost tens of thousands of euros, and when he received the message that he would have to restore the meadows, he was shocked.
“We are building on our own and we are planning to expand as much as the land will allow. 2000 we declared two acres of garden and are expanding little by little. We have a total of 16 hectares of land, but only 7 hectares can be planted. Elsewhere in the swamp, ”explains R. Audėjas, who plans to establish a nursery so that he can earn more from such an area. The family of several hectares of harvested crops alone will not live.
The farmer also explains how much to invest. If you buy wholesale seedlings, then 500 hazelnuts – so much needed per hectare – they will cost 1500-2000 euros. In addition, the land needs to be prepared and planted. Another necessary accessory is a fence. In Lithuania, many deer will not be able to dream of harvesting without protection. They needed about 1.5 miles of fence themselves. The material alone cost 4 thousand. euros.
Planting walnut trees is even more expensive. 130-150 seedlings, how many are planted per hectare in the case of grafted trees, costs 30 euros each.
An industrial harvest can be taken from a hectare of garden after 7-8 years. 3 tons of such an area is already a good amount. If sold at the market, it is 4-5 euros per kilogram. Wholesale much cheaper.
“Global practice shows that it is worth buying collection and treatment equipment with 10 ha. A few acres is an extra income for the family. However, it can process only 1-2 hectares. It is necessary to hire more people, who are already expensive nowadays, ”explains R. Audėjas.
He himself plans to plant up to 5 hectares of garden and a couple of hectares of nursery.
“It simply came to our notice then. If a fine is imposed, we will pay it, waive the benefits and continue to grow. But the biggest uncertainty about the fine. It is not clear what the amount is, ”says the farmer.
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The farmer also wrote his story and arguments on Facebook:
“When we decided to plant a garden a few years ago, the land we planned to do was deserted, overgrown with shrubs and inferior trees, full of large and small stones, with watering areas. The land productivity score is very low. Those lands were not cultivated even in the days of the collective farm. Because it would simply not pay to manage, close and grow conventional crops here. For a condition like that of the land, there were threats of fines for abandoned land.
After researching the land, we found out that such land is suitable for walnut trees and hazelnuts. So we decided to plant a garden. Land management and garden planting works began: cutting shrubs and low-value trees, clearing stumps, draining, digging and collecting stones. We started planting the garden with breeding walnut trees and hazelnuts. We fenced the garden. We dug a pond to water the trees. We have already invested tens of thousands of euros in all this.
Perennial grasslands (DGPs) were declared prior to orchard planting. We declared because we did not hear any warnings from the officials we consulted or through which we declared. Until now, with the introduction of other crops in the former DGP areas, there have been virtually no requirements for replanting DGP. There were no problems because Lithuania did not exceed the established allowable norm (5 percent for the whole of Lithuania). However, the situation changed when the current government, instead of mulching the DGP, demanded mowing and collecting hay. You have to tidy up the hay, even if no one needs it, you can put it in the field in piles, but it has to be tidied up, no matter what the logic is. Following such changes, many farmers fell into the DGP and thus exceeded the permitted level. But those who started growing something instead of DGP fell into a kind of trap. It seemed to the law that this could happen, but it never happened because there was no basis for it. The current government has provoked such a thing. And now we read: “If the applicant does not restore the plowed perennial grassland, the greening payment for the non-restored area is free of charge and an additional administrative penalty may be imposed.”
We do not try to dispute the importance and necessity of perennial meadows in Lithuania, but we do not understand the legal driving of such a bulldozer in any way, regardless of any circumstances. Most of the land we have is already made up of wetlands where no farming is possible. So that area remains natural. Although the area named marshes on the map is much larger than the area of a real marsh, we have no blame for this – let it remain for nature. Probably more than 10 percent of the plot falls within the protection area of power lines. So we can’t plant a garden there again.
It is very difficult to understand the position of today’s government. On the one hand, we hear calls for the planting of agricultural crops in Lithuania that yield higher profits than traditional ones. And when you start planting, in the land where you invest a lot of money before planting, so that you can basically plant there – you will receive letters with a link to a map showing which areas of your planted gardens need to be converted to derelict land again. Although so far we have planted less than a fifth of our land in a garden. Have we already exceeded that 5 percent in the whole of Lithuania? ”
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