At the meeting of the Prienai Farmers’ Union Council held on March 16, the position of the members of the department was harmonized in response to the draft laws being prepared by the Ministry of the Environment on the reorganization of land use policy formation, implementation and control, as well as in response to the request of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union regarding the suspension of LŪS membership in the Lithuanian Agricultural Council.
Before the general report-election meeting of the members of the farmers’ union of Prienai district, which will be held on March 24, the members of the union council discussed the relevant issues.
Other current issues related to the participation of representatives of Prienai and Birštonas region in the March 23 farmers’ protest action at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and preparations for the general, repeated meeting of union members, which will take place on March 24 in Prienai, were also discussed. Farmers’ requests for joining the Prienai Farmers’ Union were considered and approved, the renewal of the composition of the Prienai ŪS Council according to wards, the removal of those late in paying the membership fee from the union, etc. were discussed.
The chairman of the Prienai Farmers’ Union, Martynas Butkevičius, invited the members of the Council to express their opinion on the proposed amendments to the Agricultural Land Acquisition Law. Taking into account the opinions expressed, the Prienai Farmers’ Union prepared a response to the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union, in which it opposed the draft laws prepared by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Prieniškai supports the position of LŪS and categorically disagrees with the amendments to the Law initiated by the Ministry of the Environment, which propose: 1. “not to limit the maximum area of agricultural land allowed to be acquired by ownership; 2. when selling private agricultural land, not to give priority right to purchase it to the owners of adjoining land plots, as well as to persons who have declared their place of residence in the municipality of the agricultural land plot being sold”.
In the letter of the Prieni Farmers’ Union, attention is drawn to the fact that the draft amendment to the legal act proposed by the ministry is directed against small and medium-sized farms and is clearly created for a small group of society that has accumulated a large amount of capital and seeks to buy land and profit from its rent.
After heated discussions, the members of the Council of Farmers did not agree that LŪS should suspend its membership in the Lithuanian Agricultural Council, because positive changes are expected in its management and work organization, according to Jonas Vilionis, president of the Council of the Association of Lithuanian Milk Producers.
Jonas Vilionis informed the council members about the fact that the nine agricultural public organizations that have shown unity, supporting the milk producers who are going through the crisis, are planning to organize the largest recent protest action in front of the Seimas on March 23, in which about 2.5 thousand people plan to participate. people. In their appeal, it is written that “The situation in agriculture is rapidly deteriorating. The dairy sector is on the verge of extinction, its problems are not being solved fundamentally. The position of the Ministry of Agriculture, the lack of instruments against processors shows the complete disability of the institution and its leader. The authorities have prepared requirements that destroy crop production. The Strategic Plan, which received huge criticism and comments from farmers, is already being revised, although there is only a month left before the declaration. The authorities “from above” are more than ever actively placing new, immeasurable restrictions on the shoulders of farmers, with absolutely no consideration of the consequences…”
According to J. Vilionis, the Ministry of Agriculture does not show any effort to responsibly represent the interests of the sector entrusted to it, therefore farmers and agricultural companies are liquidating dairy and cattle farms, refusing investments.
Council members of the Prieni Farmers’ Union also decided to participate in the protest action in Vilnius. Already this Thursday, a bus full of farmers from our region is leaving for the capital, who will express their lack of confidence in the implemented agricultural policy at the Seimas.
Dale Lazauskienė