On December 13 the Chamber of Agriculture organized another international protest action in Brussels to remind the politicians gathered at the European Council that they must keep the promise to equalize the support for farmers in all EU countries.
The first protest action organized by the Lithuanian Agricultural Chamber in Brussels was held on October 18 this year. Then equal conditions were demanded not only by Lithuanians but also by the Polish, Czech, Latvian farmers. The action was successful, the members of the European Parliament and the European Commission heard the farmers and accepted their written requirements. On December 13, when the European Council again gathered in Brussels and, among other issues, began to consider the EU budget in 2021-2027, a protest action took place, in which farmers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania demanded fair conditions and sufficient budget.
On December 10 the representatives of Lithuanian farmers’ organizations met with the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and discussed the goal of the farmers. Among other things, the President said that Lithuanian budgetary priorities are the allocation of the structural funds and the decommissioning of the Ignalina NPP, but the proposals for the agricultural sector are not less important.
“We are somewhat disappointed because the promised direct payments will not be reached by the end of this financial perspective, which means that the EU remains in debt to us.” said President D.Grybauskaitė .
Currently, the EU average for direct payments is 266 EUR / ha, and in Lithuania it was 166 EUR / ha this year. In 2027 average direct payments for Lithuanian farmers are planned to reach only 204 EUR / ha, or 79%. EU average. Such a forecast is not satisfactory. We seek that in 2027 the average payment for farmers in Lithuania would be equal to the EU average of 266 EUR / ha.
