Farm organizations want direct payments to rise to 75 pct from 2014

Photo: HENN SOODLA/PRNPM/EMF

Estonia's agricultural organizations want direct European Union agricultural payments for Estonian farmers to be raised to at least 75 percent of the EU average already by 2014.

"We are realists and we will be satisfied when payments increase to 75 percent," Jaan Sõrra, vice president of the Estonian Farmers Association, told BNS. "But by 2014, not by 2020 as is planned at the moment."

Sorra said that after a meeting of farmers with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip on Friday Estonian farmers could be confident that the Baltic countries will be fighting for an increase in direct payments together.

Plans remain in force to stage a protest on Feb. 5 to demand equal competition conditions for Baltic farmers in the European Union, Sõrra added.

The action is intended to back up the stance that the EU's common agricultural policy has outlived its time and needs a serious reform that would take into account solidarity and equality between the member states. Besides the action is meant to draw attention to the so-called problem of euro-hay whereby equal per-hectare support is paid to farmers who grow agricultural produce and those who once a year cut grass or spread it back onto the field mulched.

Sorra said that hopefully this will be the last protest by farmers on the topic of the common agricultural policy.

Roomet Sormus, manager of the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, said he considers additional efforts and actions by farmers to win equal competition terms as very important. "Looking at the outcome of the November summit, the danger is real today that agricultural payments in Estonia will decline by more than 13 percent in 2014 compared with the present because it will no longer be permitted to pay national support. That cannot be accepted considering the already unfairly low level of payments here," Sormus said.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said is his remarks to BNS on Thursday that in negotiations on the EU's budget for 2014–2020 Estonia should base its stance regarding direct agricultural subsidies on the agreement already reached according to which direct payments to Baltic farmers will make up 75 percent of the union's average, not the stance of the European Parliament's agriculture and rural development committee which suggests that direct payments to Baltic farmers should make up 65 percent of the EU average.

"For me the stance of the European Parliament's agriculture committee is not comprehensible," Ansip said. "I don't see any reason why to pull back.

Representatives of Baltic farmers organizations met with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on Jan. 15 to lay out their common stance. On Monday they will meet with the prime minister of Latvia.