Farmers warn: some sectors may suffer as Ministry of Agriculture cuts administrative burdens
Reducing the administrative burden on farmers has become one of the Minister's priorities since the Ministry of Agriculture submitted the amendment to the Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development of Lithuania, according to Vytenis Tomkus, Deputy Minister of Agriculture. Meanwhile, farmers' representatives say that not all sectors are equally accepting of simplification.
The new procedure will allow farmers to purchase machinery that exceeds the production potential of their farms, provided that the difference in the purchase price is covered by the farmer himself. This rule is not acceptable to vegetable growers, according to Zofija Cironkienė of the Lithuanian Vegetable Growers Association (LDAA).
„They (the new rules – ELTA) are probably the most convenient and necessary for the cereal sector. For example, to work with machinery purchased for a particular sector. We know how some large farms have been artificially converted to horticulture by planting areas of pumpkins, or beans, or peas, and the machinery purchased is basically for grain farming," Z. Cironkienė told a meeting of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs on Wednesday.
According to the LDAA representative, if the intensity of support is compared to other sectors, it could be as low as 20-40% for vegetable growers.
„I wanted to point out that the further development of the rules should revisit the fact that simplification cannot be the same for all sectors and that it is not appropriate for all sectors“, – she stressed.
The question's curator, Member of the Seimas Vigilijus Jukna, urged the Ministry of Agriculture to take into account the suggestions made in the working group set up by the Commission, which also includes the social partners.
„What has been expressed, especially by the LDAA, I also hope that you have taken note of it and that it will be examined and discussed somewhere so that that compromise can be found, so that other sectors do not suffer, not only by prioritising certain sectors, –, said Mr Jukna.
Proposal to cut allocations to inspection units
Jonas Sviderskis, Director General of the Lithuanian Association of Agricultural Companies (LAGAC), noted that although the National Paying Agency (NPA) has said it will no longer inspect farms smaller than 10 ha, the number of staff inspecting farms will remain the same.
„I have written such a drastic proposal - to reduce the allocations to those departments, to those inspectors who are on the road, because the volumes are going down, while the funding is staying the same“, – said Mr Sviderskis.
The head of the LFAA said that the constant inspections are a huge burden for farmers, who fear that if the number of inspectors is not reduced, inspections will continue at the same frequency. He also questioned the suitability of the inspectors' qualifications.
„Shouldn't all those inspectors have to pass a qualification exam? Because in order to use plant protection products we have to do it, and we do it, but the inspector doesn't know anything“, – he claimed.
The Deputy Minister assured that the number and frequency of inspections will continue to decrease and that some farms will not even be inspected.
„The scope and frequency of inspections are being reduced, and less risky projects will probably not be inspected at all, so a lot of work is being done in this direction“, – stressed Mr Tomkus.
ELTA reminds that from 7 October farmers investing in agricultural holdings will be able to apply for support under a simplified procedure. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the additional call will remain open until 4 November.
The funds allocated to the calls will be distributed according to the different agricultural sectors: €13.5 million will be distributed under the Operational Area „Support for investments in agricultural holdings“ of the Lithuanian Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, and a further €40 million will be distributed under the intervention measure „Investments in Agricultural Holdings“ of the Lithuanian Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Development (SP) for 2023-2027.
Among the planned changes are the financing of the purchase of tractors and agricultural machinery in all agricultural sectors, the integration of business plan information into the application, the elimination of financial forecasts and the determination of compliance with the economic viability criteria on the basis of actual accounts.
