Bulgaria wants crisis support from the EU for our agriculture because of the damage caused by drought and fires – 2024-09-10 11:52:17

The process for approving amendments to the Strategic Plans must be accelerated, Georgi Tahov said at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Bulgaria requested activation of funds from the agricultural reserve of the European Union because of the damage caused by the drought. The country also suffered severely in the months of July and August from uncontrollable fires exacerbated by climatic conditions such as high temperatures and a long period of drought. This was stated by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, at an informal meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries, which is being held in Budapest, Hungary, in connection with letters sent from Bulgaria to the European Commission for the activation of the agricultural reserve in support to farmers.

Minister Takhov pointed out that animals, bee colonies and hives, animal feed, machinery, agricultural facilities and homes were destroyed and stressed the need to take urgent measures.

For Bulgaria, adequate protection in trade in agricultural goods with third countries is key to preserving the place and future of sustainable agricultural production within the EU, Minister Takhov said. He recalled the position he presented at the regular meeting of the Council in May, in which intensive import of fresh chicken eggs for consumption in the Republic of Bulgaria from Ukraine from the beginning of 2024 was reported. In this regard, Bulgaria sent a written request to the Commission to activate a protective mechanism for Bulgarian egg producers due to the observed negative market trends as a result of imports from Ukraine. Minister Takhov added that there is serious concern among the representatives of the sector in the country and announced that Bulgaria will raise the issue at the upcoming meeting of the Council.

As part of a discussion on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Minister of Agriculture and Food commented on the need to speed up the process of amending the Strategic Plans. The events of recent years have shown that the availability of flexible instruments in legislation to reflect current challenges is of key importance, said Minister Takhov. He also highlighted the need to optimize planning and more opportunities for member states to flexibly use unspent funds under guaranteed budgets.

Minister Tahov commented that the main instruments in the two pillars of the CAP in the period after 2027 should maintain the goal related to ensuring competitiveness and strategic development of the agricultural sector in Europe. Future CAP reforms should work to preserve successful policy instruments such as direct payments. It is necessary to take into account the growing challenges facing agriculture and ensure a budget of sufficient size to bring security to the sector. It is essential to work towards equalization in the levels of direct payments so that farmers in countries with lower payments are on an equal footing with other farmers in the EU, said Minister Takhov.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food also stated the need to achieve a balance in greening that does not threaten food security and does not lead to negative effects for European farmers. The ecological criteria for our producers must be clear and understandable, as well as be feasible when carrying out the usual agricultural activity and not hinder standard agricultural practices, said Minister Georgi Tahov.