Ministers Agreed In Luxembourg On A Common Position On Agropolitics

Ministers Agreed In Luxembourg On A Common Position On Agropolitics

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ján Mičovský (OĽaNO) together with the State Secretary Andrej Gajdoš participated in the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries (AGRIFISH) in Luxembourg. Anežka Hrdá, a spokeswoman for the agricultural department, informed about it. The main points of the program were the reform package of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 and the "Farm to Table" Strategy. The agroministers agreed on a common position. Mičovský considers this compromise to be balanced and supported the Council's common position - the so-called general direction. "This is a fragile compromise that was not born easily. Intense discussions took place continuously for two and a half days, practically without a break," the minister noted, adding that The Slovak Republic can agree to this compromise, as it meets the environment, landscaping and farmers, and takes into account the need to ensure food self-sufficiency. According to the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Agriculture, in his words, argued for the necessity of the obligatory allocation of a certain percentage (20 percent) to these measures. At the same time, however, he welcomed that the agreed flexibility would make it possible to take into account the specifics of Slovakia and that the setting would be directed by the national administration. On the issue of coupled support, according to the ministry, the status quo was maintained at a percentage setting (13 + 2 percent). At the initiative of Slovakia, potatoes were also included among the sensitive sectors. "The agricultural sector feels dissatisfaction with the failure to allow the inclusion of the pork and poultry sector, despite multiple arguments that this sector is key for Slovakia," Hrdá explained. In the case of capitalization and degressivity, Slovakia has succeeded in enforcing the use of norms for deducting labor costs, which is intended to simplify the administration and bureaucratic burden for the Agricultural Paying Agency and farmers.