Chamber of Agriculture leaders hope that Mr Hofmann will help reconcile the Chamber and the Council

The leaders of the Chamber of Agriculture (CAA) hope that Minister Ignas Hofmanas, who chaired the other farmers' organisation, the Council of Agriculture, will mediate in reconciling the interests of the two main agricultural organisations, says Algis Baravykas, Vice-Chairman of the CAA. 

„I am pleased that the Minister is ready to mediate in this, we have expressed our expectations, we should probably get some feedback from the Council and in this way we will try to come to the negotiating table“, – said on Wednesday at a press conference Algis Baravykas. 

„During last week's meeting with the Minister's team, it was said that we do not need to make big, quick decisions (...) we need to look for wise solutions, wise talks, (...) to reconcile the interests“, – said the chairman of ŽŪR, Arūnas Svitojus.

A year ago, during the mass farmers' protest, its organiser, the Council of Agriculture, publicly stated that the EAA did not represent farmers, while the latter argued that the state-funded council could not adequately reflect their interests.

„The fundamental problem is probably that the Chamber of Agriculture tries not to use that radicalism, to look at the laws, at the projects, to look for opportunities for co-operation, while we can't say "the other side", but the side that is more involved in agriculture has a sharper debate with politicians, and that's where the Chamber is trying to find that common language. (...) There is a need to reconcile interests," explained Baravykas.

„We heard from the Minister that we should look for more democratic ways to elect the leadership of the Chamber, so we will look for those ways to find that democratic option“, – added Svitojus. 

A. Baravykas stressed that the Chamber of Agriculture and the Agriculture Council represent the same farmers. 

„We are not some other camp, we represent the same farmers. We are a branch organisation and we have to harmonise these interests much more," said Mr Baravykas. 

„The plan is that all the organisations meet with the Minister, invite a psychologist, an exorcist and talk about what the roots of all this are, and until the white smoke comes out, nothing will come out“, – joked ŽŪR Vice-Chairman Vytautas Buivydas. 

I. Hofmanas told BNS in December that he would seek to listen to both sides and hoped that the farming community and self-government would come together and that the problems could either be resolved or exacerbated. He said that the EAA acknowledges that there are problems and understands that changes will have to be made. The Minister stressed that he would remain neutral.