On Monday, April 29, at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg, member states assessed the European Commission's (EC) measures for a rapid response to the current situation in the EU agriculture sector. During the discussions, Minister of agriculture Armands Krauze called on the EC to review and increase the de minimis aid thresholds for the agriculture sector, to adequately utilize this instrument for the sector's short-term financing needs. Currently, the de minimis limits in agriculture are too low and restrictive for receiving state aid. This proposal is supported by the majority of EU member states and would be a much-needed decision in order to stimulate economic activity in agriculture.
The Minister of agriculture also continued to urge the EC to reduce the administrative burden on farmers imposed by the EU's Common agricultural policy (CAP) and the Strategic Plans of member states for 2023-2027. To strengthen the EU agriculture and food sectors, many conditions that have been thoughtlessly imposed on member states in recent years need to be reviewed and reduced. For instance, the newly introduced social conditionality system should be abolished as it is an inadequate additional administrative burden. In Latvia, employment controls in agriculture are already comprehensively conducted without the additional efforts from CAP. Farmers and food producers in the EU should only be subject to feasible requirements that provide real added value. At the same time, the next step must be adequate funding to support EU producers for meeting high standards and maintaining competitiveness in the market.
Member states at the Council also discussed the impact of international trade agreements with third countries on EU farmers and food producers. The Minister emphasized that agreements with third countries must be balanced and consider the long-term interests of the EU, especially in the agricultural sector. Minister of agriculture Armands Krauze stated: "Unfortunately, producers in the European Union, with their high welfare, environmental, and climate requirements, are in an unequal position compared to producers from third countries. This is particularly evident in the cereal and livestock sectors, especially poultry farming. Due to these requirements, it is difficult for EU producers to compete with third-country products, where such requirements are significantly lower. Therefore, measures must be implemented to ensure that European farmers, with higher demands and costs, can maintain their market positions."
At Latvia's initiative, the Council also considered the necessary adjustments to the Fisheries Control Regulation regarding the allowable margin of tolerance for catch estimates—the difference between the estimated catch volume at sea and its species composition recorded in the fishing logbook compared to the weight and composition recorded at the shore. Since the bycatch of these unregulated species is very small, it is extremely difficult for fishermen to visually estimate its volume accurately while at sea, which is considered a serious violation under the regulation. This is neither reasonable nor adequate. If the problem is not addressed, it could dramatically affect the small pelagic fishery sector in Latvia and Lithuania, effectively putting almost all fishermen in the position of potential violators. The Ministry of Agriculture calls for an exemption or special rules for applying this condition to unregulated species with a small bycatch volume in the overall catch.
