2023-11-08 15:48:47
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food sent answers to written questions from Agro Plovdiv questionsrelated to the changes in the Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Areas.
From the answers, we understand that before being sent to Brussels, the corrections in the Bulgarian Strategic Plan must be finally approved by the Monitoring Committee and accepted by the government. We haven’t gone through these steps yet.
In the letter from the Ministry of Agriculture to us, sums are indicated that are transferred from a scheme in which there is less interest to other eco schemes that have attracted more farmers. Some rates are also indicated.
Read more:
Changes in the Strategic Plan: Redistribute money between eco schemes according to interest
Regarding the coupled support for animals, and more specifically the dispute about whether the rates should be modulated or the same regardless of herd size, the MFA replied that “Modulated rates apply in 2023 as well”.
Here are the answers of the Ministry of Health:
When will the MoH be finally ready with the changes in the Strategic Plan and therefore when will it send them for notification to the EC?
All changes in the Strategic Plan are discussed and agreed with the members of the Monitoring Committee (MC), which is the management body of the Strategic Plan for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas in Bulgaria for the period 2023-2027 (SPRZSR). As a result of the in-person meeting of the KN in September and the discussions held there, as well as in view of a number of opinions received from the participants in the work of the Committee, the Governing Body took into account their comments and reflected them in some of the interventions. According to the Internal Rules of Operation of the KN, each change should be re-agreed within the framework of a written reconciliation procedure. Such was once done in order to carry out timely communication and ensure sufficient transparency in decision-making. After this process is completed, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food should also comply with the requirements of the applicable national environmental legislation, namely – to receive an opinion from the competent authority on the First Amendment of the Strategic Plan. The last step, before sending the First Amendment to the Plan to the EC offices, is for the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria to approve the amendment.
Will these changes be published on the MFA page?
Yes, the changes will be published on the website of the Ministry of Health.
Which of the remarks of the parliamentary agricultural committee to the proposed changes did the Ministry of Agriculture comply with?
After the campaign and as a result of requests from interested parties and in implementation of the Decision of the 49th National Assembly, as well as the government’s program for simplification and better targeting of aid under the Common Agricultural Policy, a process of amending the Strategic Plan was launched .
Read more:
Recommendation of the MPs: To have control and self-control over the use of pesticides and fertilizers
A working group was formed by order of the Minister of Agriculture, whose main objective was to make a comprehensive review of the opinions received and the results of the Campaign for direct payments and to prepare the necessary amendment and addition, as well as a proposal for the redistribution of the funds provided for in the Strategic plan for the development of agriculture and rural areas in Bulgaria for the period 2023-2027, with the aim of achieving a fairer distribution of direct payments in favor of production areas, eco-schemes, sectoral interventions and investments, with the aim of supporting small and medium-sized agricultural farms in the production of Bulgarian fruits and vegetables, milk, meat and honey, suffered serious damage in recent years and dangerously decreased as a share of agricultural production.
They mainly cover changes related to direct payments (eco-schemes, coupled support), agri-environmental interventions and investments.
The Committee on Agriculture had several proposals to amend the Strategic Plan in the interventions co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development under commitments in the field of environment and climate and other commitments in the field of governance, animal welfare and antimicrobial resistance ;
In connection with the requests of the SC decision, changes were made to the financial plan with a view to transferring funds to the intervention for organic production and animal welfare – the requirements in relation to the activity to reduce the use of antimicrobials were adapted and the eligible beneficiaries were specified, the requirements for the implementation of a program for the prevention and control of significant diseases at the level of the animal husbandry facility, the costs that are covered within the framework of this activity and the procedure for accepting the list of diseases and information on the vaccines approved for them.
With regard to organic crop production, a new group of eligible crops has been added – fodder crops.
Also, the amounts of compensatory payments for interventions aimed at organic production and animal welfare have been updated.
With regard to the intervention Restoring and maintaining degraded pasture areas – an obligation for the presence of UE in the ratio of 1 UE is included.
In the case of direct support, the changes are as follows:
1. I.B.2 – Ecoscheme for maintaining and improving biological diversity and ecological infrastructure
Reduction of the planned intervention areas from 57,650 ha to 7,500 ha for the following years, with an annual budget of EUR 4,372,220.00 and a total budget for the period 2024-2027 of EUR 17,488,880. As a result of the intervention change, an annual budget of EUR 30,012,897.97 is released, and a total budget for the period 2024-2027 of EUR 120,051,591.88 will be redistributed to eco-schemes with a production contribution.
The differentiated amount of support is maintained depending on the type of agricultural land, given the compensatory nature of the support – compensation for lost benefits from the usual use of the land (arable land, perennial crops and permanently grassed areas) and additional efforts to maintain the ecological infrastructure.
2. I.B.7. Ecoscheme for maintaining and improving biodiversity in forest ecosystems
Reduction of the areas planned for support under the intervention from 20,310 ha to 2,000 ha with an annual budget of EUR 430,000.00 and a total budget for the period 2024-2027 of EUR 1,720,000. As a result of the intervention change, a budget of 23,478,000.00 euros is released for the period 2024-2027, which will be redistributed to eco schemes with a production contribution.
3. I.B.3. Ecoscheme for preservation and restoration of soil potential – promotion of green fertilization and organic fertilization
The intervention additionally includes the application of two different practices:
sowing of catch crops that must be available in the field in the period from October 1 to December 1 of the year of application and used for subsequent green fertilization; sowing of cover crops – must be available in the field in the period from October 15 of the year of application to February 15 of the following year.
An increase in the areas planned for support under the intervention, given the increased interest in it, as well as an increase in the budget for the period 2024-2027 by 50,703,140.22 euros.
4. I.B.4. Eco scheme to reduce the use of pesticides
The following practices are included in the intervention:
– When growing crops, total herbicides (glyphosate) and plant protection products of the first professional category should not be used;
– When growing crops, do not use plant protection products of the first professional category and use pheromone traps or useful biological agents, bacteriological or fungal agents, other biological preparations.
An increase in the areas planned for assistance under the intervention, given the increased interest in it. The compensatory payment for perennials has been increased to 164.41 euros/ha. As a result of the changes, the intervention budget for the period 2024-2027 was increased by 204,918,501.72 euros.
5. I.B.5. Ecoscheme for ecological maintenance of permanent plantations
Two new practices have been added to the intervention:
Interrow maintenance with nitrogen-fixing crops of suitable and non-competing biology alone or in a mixture with cereal or grass species. The rows are maintained without the application of plant protection products and artificial fertilizers. In the interrows, mowing and, if necessary, mulching is carried out outside the nesting period of the birds; and/or Mulching between the rows of perennials; and/or Maintaining the inter-rows with natural vegetation that is mowed outside the nesting period of the birds and mulching is carried out if necessary, no plant protection products and artificial fertilizers are used on the vegetation in the inter-rows.
The areas planned for support under the intervention have been updated and the compensatory rate for the inter-rows has been increased to 168.93 euros/ha.
6. I.B.6. Eco scheme for extensive maintenance of permanently grassed areas
Increase of the compensatory rate under the intervention to 123.86 euros/ha and update of the planned areas eligible for support under the intervention, given the data from the requested areas for Campaign 2023.
7. I.B.8. Ecoscheme for diversification of cultivated crops
The list of crops eligible for assistance under the intervention has been expanded, adding the following perennial crops (apples, pears, apricots, greens, cherries, sour cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums (Prunus domestica), dessert grapes, strawberries, raspberries, walnuts, almonds) , hazelnuts, chestnuts, pistachios and other shell species), considered as one crop for the purposes of the eco scheme. Changed crop ratio within diversification from 90 to 95%. As a result of the changed conditions under the intervention, the compensatory rates under the intervention have changed.
8. I.B.1 Ecoscheme for organic farming (farm animals)
The amount of the compensatory payment has been increased to 516.35 euros/ha and the areas planned for assistance under the intervention have been updated. In the eco schemes, the eligibility conditions have been supplemented based on the measures from the Environmental Assessment Report of the Strategic Plan.
9. Production-related income support
Fruit and Vegetable Sector
Under the Production Linked Income Support for fruit intervention, the support for plums and dessert grapes is aligned with the other crops within the intervention. A modulated support rate is introduced in the coupled support intervention for fruit. The requirement for the planting to be within its depreciation period is also currently monitored by an agronomist certifying the fruiting of the permanent plantings applied for assistance under the intervention.
Support for starch potatoes has been separated into a separate intervention, with the planned areas under the intervention updated on the basis of the requested area during the 2023 campaign.
A new intervention for Linked income support for seed potatoes has been created.
Under the intervention Linked to production income support for greenhouse production – the rates for greenhouse production of heated and unheated greenhouses are differentiated.
Livestock sector
A modulated payment amount also applies to the 2023 campaign.
#Strategic #Plan #agreed #KNAgro #Plovdiv