He mentions the government’s moves to support farmers in a post on Facebook the Minister of Rural Development Lefteris Avgenakis.

The minister refers to 16 actions through which farmers are supported in order to face their problems.

The post of Lefteris Avgenakis in more detail:

We consistently continue to take measures in favor of farmers

“Solving the problems requires open channels of dialogue, consultation and consensus, which the government and the Prime Minister demonstrably possess”

The government and the Ministry of Rural Development and Food have shown by their actions that they understand the anguish of the farmers of our country. A struggle that is intensifying more and more due to the climate and energy crisis.

For this very reason, consistently with what we have declared, we are proceeding with the development of more targeted policies that create conditions of additional security for the primary sector, while at the same time we are always open to dialogue with every institution, but also with every group of farmers, breeders , fishermen and beekeepers of our country. And this, because the problems are many and new ones are constantly being created, which, in order to be resolved, require open channels of dialogue, understanding and consensus, which the government and the Prime Minister of our country have proven to have.

1. For the revision of the #CAP, in addition to the 6 proposals we made as a #EU member state and were accepted for 2024, we activated alliances within the framework of the Southern EU countries, the #EUMED9 Group. The first meeting took place on a Greek initiative in Brussels on January 14, 2024. The next meeting of EUMED9 is scheduled for February 26 with the topic of discussion being the modification of the CAP 2023-2027. On the same day, at the initiative of the Belgian presidency and with Greek support, the issue of amending the CAP will be discussed at the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries.

2. On the initiative of France and the support of Greece, the College of EU Commissioners approved the exemption from the obligation of set-aside. For our country, it concerns 1,480,972 arable acres and 127,232 farmers.

3. We are activating, in principle, 15 million euros to deal with the basic damages in the networks of the #ΤΟΕΒ of Thessaly, which have responded to our call to record the damages they have suffered, so that the networks can become operational again . For this issue, we are cooperating with the ministries of Rural Development and Food, Finance, Energy and Environment and Climate Crisis and Civil Protection with the 15 – out of the 53 TOEB and 1 GOEB of Thessaly – that have responded.

4. We continue the checks from mixed levels (General Directorate of Food #ΣΑΑΑΤ, #ΕΦΕΤ, #ΕΓΓΟ_ΜΙΜΟΛΑ and #DAΕΚ) on #milk and the products produced from it and on fruit and vegetables and we extend them to #honey, #meat and #olive oil, in order to support producers, honest processors and to protect consumers from illegal #Greekization. From January 18 until today, there have been 66 #checks on loads of milk and dairy products and 90 on loads of fruit and vegetables at the country’s entry gates. From the #super_markets 168 samples have been taken and sent for laboratory analysis, of which 102 have been sent to the State General Chemistry for adulteration control and we have received responses to 20 samples and this week we expect responses to another 35. Also for control at marking of the label, 262 samples have been sent to EFET. Finally, 181 fruit and vegetable samples have been taken, of which 23 concern organic products and 22 concern further laboratory control for residues of plant protection products.

5. OPEKEPE:
– Correction of single aid 2023. The platform has already been opened for corrections until the end of February and by #Easter the corrective payment of the balance of 88 million of the basic aid, which had not been absorbed, will be made.
– Payment of linked aid within April – 245 million euros.
– Opening of the new applications #OSDE 2024 in March.
– The platform has already been opened for corrections to the #Ecological_Schemes, the payment of which, amounting to 425 million euros, is expected to be made by Easter.
– Initiation of the procedures in order to repay the beneficiaries for the years 2014-2019 based on the old CAP as well as for the transitional period 2020-2022.
– The liquidation of the 16,000 frozen #TINs and the release of the legitimate ones has begun. The rest will be brought to justice.
– Gradual control and payment of those beneficiaries who have appealed and been vindicated by the Court for mistakes in the payment of past years.

6. ELGA pays from February 27, i.e. 2 months earlier, the damages of 2023 at 100% of the calculated value. The ad hoc compensation program for #Thessaly has been estimated at 260 million euros. #compensations of 150 million euros have been paid and the remaining 110 million have already been transferred from the Ministry of Finance to ELGA. Compensation will be paid by June 30.

7. The ministerial decision was signed today to activate the program for the implementation of Measure 5.2, amounting to 45 million euros, which concerns free replacement of livestock and reconstruction of stables, to those affected by #Daniel. The measure also includes beekeepers. The announcement for the start of submitting applications will be issued within the current week by ELGA, with the opening of the platform.

8. Parakarlia areas: The final Technical Bulletin of Measure 10.01.11 was submitted to the EU, concerning the previously productive lands that are under water in the area of ​​Karla. The approval of the request by the European Commission is expected and the submission of an application for inclusion in the Measure will be made automatically, through the declaration of Single Aid 2024.

9. Denitrification: 2 programs worth 150 million euros are “running”. One with a new invitation for the regions of Thessaly, N. Fthiotida and Evros, amounting to 100 million euros and the other with an extension of the existing invitation, applicable throughout the country, amounting to 50 million euros. The new invitation is expected to be published in April.

10. We included, as I verbally committed at our meeting with farmers in Domoko, V. Fthiotida in the Improvement Plans.

11. We include in the #Improvement_Plans all runners-up in the affected areas of Rhodes.

12. Compensations of 1.5 million euros will be paid by the end of February to the fishermen who are active in the Pagasitikos and on the coasts of Larissa Prefecture. The aid of an additional 1 million euros to the fishermen of N. Evia and Fthiotida is expected immediately.

13. At the end of January, compensations of 15.8 million euros were paid from the Agricultural Reserve 2023 to non-obligors insured by ELGA (poultry farmers, pig farmers, greenhouse crops, ornamental plants, nurseries, etc.)

14. The measure of support through the Agricultural Reserve 2023, with 15 euros per hive, by my order will also be given to the beekeepers of the affected areas of North Fthiotida, North Evia and Rhodes.

15. We increased the budget of the measure for Young Farmers by 82 million and included in this total 2,100 runners-up. 57 million euros have already been disbursed as an advance.

16. In addition, two more draft laws of the HYPAAT aimed at supporting agricultural production are already being prepared and are expected to be discussed at the Council of Ministers on February 29:
– The sanctioning framework regarding market controls and protection against illegal Greekisation for #PDO, #PGI and #EPIP products
– The operating framework of the Interprofessional Organizations.
We are aware of the problems faced by Greek #farmers and we are taking every possible measure to reduce production costs, but this does not mean that we have the right to jeopardize what, all together, with efforts and sacrifices, we have achieved until now.
I am sure that with a good mood, with consensus and with dialogue, we can, we can face any problem. It is enough to realize that supporting the primary sector is not a policy exercise, but a national challenge. And Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis treats it as such.