Bulgaria offers the support of the crisis assistance for the agricultural sector to continue until the end of 2023
The extraordinary support under the Temporary Framework for State Aid makes it possible to mitigate some of the economic difficulties faced by agricultural holdings. Bulgaria welcomes the extension of this support until the end of 2023 and maintains that the ceiling should be proportionally increased. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Georgi Sabev during the meeting of the Council of the Low Union of Agriculture and Fisheries in Luxembourg. It discussed a draft amendment to the Temporary Crisis Framework.
Georgi Sabev provides that the support is aimed at the sensitive sectors of Bulgarian agriculture and will help increase your social and economic sustainability.
“The intensive import of the language of Ukraine in the last 5 months caused the last demand for Bulgarian from the processing enterprises in the country. The impossibility of timely realization of the production and the difficulties, combined with the high costs of production, leads to a lack of sufficient liquidity and a normal start of the autumn sowing”, explained Deputy Minister Sabev. He also pointed out that the livestock sector is also unstable, the prices of fodder and energy carriers continue to increase and the high prices of animal products do not cover the increased production costs.
The topic of animal welfare was also discussed during the meeting. Regarding the future cessation of the systematic killing of male chickens in the EU, Bulgaria’s position, shared by other member states, is that the new rules should be introduced gradually to avoid significant shocks to the livestock industry.
Regarding the measures applied in the veterinary and phytosanitary field, Deputy Minister Sabev indicated that it is necessary to guarantee your financial security in view of the strategic position of our country as an external border of the EU. He specified that the proposed reduction of the co-financing percentage, especially of the measures that have already been planned in the national budget and implemented, is extremely unacceptable for the country, and a real threat to the surveillance and eradication of diseases in the future can be inferred.
In connection with the import of agricultural goods into the Union from third countries, Georgi Sabev commented that for the goods that are imported into the EU, identical high standards of the EU for the environment, animal welfare, plant health and the veterinary requirements that European producers are obliged to comply with. If this principle is not applied, unfair competition is created, and this is dangerous for the development of the agricultural sector and rural areas, added Georgi Sabev. The agrarian deputy minister recalled that the sensitive issues for Bulgaria continue to be the import of honey, sunflower oil and poultry meat from Australia and the MERCOSUR countries. Also the protection of geographical indications such as Bulgarian rose oil and Straldzhan muscat brandy in the free trade agreement with Australia. Regarding the EU agreement with China on the mutual protection of geographical indications, Georgi Sabev recalled that the Asian country is becoming an increasingly serious producer of rose oil, so it is extremely important for Bulgaria that the Protected Geographical Indication “Bulgarian Rose Oil” be included in the most – -short terms as a protected product in China.