European Commission authorises higher advance CAP payments to EU farmers
The European Commission (EC) authorised on September 13 EU member states to pay higher advances of Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) funds to agricultural producers, thus helping to address the liquidity problems that many of them currently face, the EC said.
Provided EU countries make use of this authorisation, farmers will be able to receive up to 70 per cent of their direct payments in advance as of October 16, compared with 50 per cent currently.
Similarly, advance payments for area and animal-based interventions under rural development can be increased by up to 85 per cent, instead of the usual 75 per cent.
“EU farmers continue to face liquidity problems, notably due to extreme weather events which have had an impact on yields in recent years, as well as high interest rates on European financial markets and high prices of agricultural inputs and commodities,” the EC said.
To respond to these challenges, and in line with one the CAP’s fundamental objectives to provide an economic safety net for EU farmers, a number of member states requested this authorisation, the statement said.
“The Commission took swift action to provide this much-needed support to EU farmers while also ensuring legal certainty for member states.”
In addition to several measures that brought more flexibility for farmers and national administrations taken earlier this year, the Commission has also distributed part of the agricultural reserve to farmers of certain member states who faced significant difficulties due to exceptional weather, the EC said.
(Photo: Andreas Krappweis/ freeimages.com)
Please support The Sofia Globe’s independent journalism by becoming a subscriber to our page on Patreon:
