After representatives of the Lithuanian Chamber of Agriculture (LCA) criticised the government's programme of measures on Thursday, Jonas Vilionis, the chairman of the Lithuanian Agriculture Council, which unites 90% of Lithuanian farmers, said that the organisation was dissociating itself from the LCA. 

„We declare today that we distance ourselves from what they say, they are on state maintenance. (...) Our associations are different, we represent real farmers“, – Jonas Vilionis said at a press conference on Friday. 

He stressed that the Agriculture Council also has comments on the government's plan of measures, and it is up to it to express its opinion on this, not the EAA, which is funded by the state. 

„As far as they receive – about 6.5 million euros for their maintenance, they have offices in Vilnius, they have offices in Kaunas, they have chambers, they have cars, they have salaries, everything, so we are distanced from them and because they have a law on chambers, which puts them above the others and they are guaranteed that funding, – said Mr Vilionis. 

A year ago, the Council of Agriculture, which had organised a massive farmers' protest, also publicly claimed that the EAA did not represent farmers, while the chamber's representatives argued that the state-funded council could not adequately reflect their interests.

At the time, the council was chaired by the current Minister of Agriculture, Ignas Hofmanas, who had initially promised to mediate a "reconciliation" between the two organisations.

„They asked this and the Minister to mend the relationship here, but I say that no relationship can be mended anymore, because (...) you get a salary from the government, you get benefits, and I represent the farmers with my own money, so we can't have any points of contact, because you can only represent the government“, – commented J. Vilionis.

J. Vilionis stressed that the EAA should not be funded by the state at all. 

„We are also raising the issue now that these channels should be closed, that the chamber's law should be abolished, because all the associations are working according to the law of associations and they should, in accordance with the law of associations, – collect the membership fee, as we do from our own members, and represent farmers“,&ldash; he explained.

In addition, Mr. Vilionas said that if the EAA had to live on membership fees, it would not be able to do so: „They cannot do it and they will not do it because they do not have the credibility in agriculture.

I. Hofmanas told BNS in December last year that he would seek to listen to both sides and that he hoped that the farming community and the 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.

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