Estonian govt declares emergency situation in agriculture

Estonian government decided to declare an emergency situation in agriculture due to adverse weather conditions. Photo: Marianne Loorents

At its Thursday sitting, the Estonian government decided to declare an emergency situation in agriculture due to adverse weather conditions.

Minister of Health Riina Sikkut said at the government's press conference that the declaration of an emergency situation does not mean the implementation of support measures, but will alleviate the situation of farmers.

The Estonian Farmers' Federation, the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, the Estonian Beef Cattle Breeders' Association, the Estonian Horticultural Association, the Animal Breeders' Association of Estonia and the young farmers' NGO Eesti Noortalunikud appealed to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on Tuesday to support the declaration of an official emergency situation in agriculture due to adverse weather conditions.

The petitioners pointed out that spring frosts and drought have created a serious situation in the Estonian agricultural sector, threatening this year's harvest. The rains of the last few weeks have failed to improve the situation, as the growth phase that should give plants a good start in terms of productivity is over, or seeds did not sprout at all.

The declaration of an emergency situation due to adverse climatic events will provide the necessary legal basis for introducing measures to help mitigate the impact from the crisis and its consequences and, in particular, give the agricultural registers and information agency PRIA the opportunity not to sanction farmers for non-compliance with obligations that are unreasonable in the current situation, the associations said.