Agriculture ministers call for urgent implementation of support measures
The additional measures came as the EU-27 Ministers for Agriculture issued a joint statement regarding the response to the COVID-19 crisis.
The letter called on the Commission to facilitate:
- The implementation of measures under the Common Market Organization (CMO) Regulation of the CAP, including in particular aid for private storage, to support those sectors where significant market disturbances and price impacts have been assessed, as well as exceptional aid for farmers in the most affected sectors under Articles 219 and 221 of the CMO Regulation;
- Ongoing review and monitoring of all sectors over the coming period, with a readiness to introduce further CMO measures as necessary;
- The immediate extension of further flexibilities to Member States under both pillars of the CAP, including in relation to earlier payment dates, higher rates of advance payment than those already announced, activation of specific measures within rural development programs, and the implementation of on-the-spot controls and administrative checks, without lowering the effectiveness of the control system;
- A continued strong and coordinated European response that demonstrates to all our citizens the vital role that European farmers and the wider agri-food sector have to play in the response to COVID-19, as well as the strength of the CAP in supporting food security, environmental protection and vibrant rural areas at this critical time, and into the future;
- The readiness of European farms to cope with the COVID-19 crisis as well as other present and future challenges, including climate change and biodiversity loss.
Image: Getty/branex
