site.btaBulgaria Asks for Funding from EU Agricultural Reserve Due to Drought and Fires

Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov told an informal meeting of agriculture ministers in Budapest that Sofia had asked for funds from the EU agricultural reserve to be activated in support of agricultural producers due to drought damage, his Ministry said on Tuesday. This country suffered severe damage in July and August from uncontrollable fires, exacerbated by high temperatures and prolonged drought. 

Tahov said that livestock, bee colonies and hives, animal feed, machinery, farming equipment and homes were destroyed, and highlighted the need for urgent action. 

For Bulgaria, adequate protection in agricultural trade with third countries is key to safeguarding the place and future of sustainable agricultural production within the EU,  Tahov said. He recalled that at the regular Council meeting in May, he reported heavy imports of fresh hen's eggs for consumption in Bulgaria from Ukraine from the beginning of 2024. In this connection, Bulgaria sent a written request to the European Commission to trigger a safeguard mechanism for Bulgarian egg producers in response to the negative market trends resulting from Ukrainian imports. Tahov added that this is a cause for serious concern in the sector and announced that Bulgaria will raise the issue at the upcoming Council meeting.

During a discussion on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Tahov commented on the need to speed up the process of amending the CAP Strategic Plans. Events in recent years have shown that having flexible instruments in legislation to reflect current challenges is key. He also highlighted the need of streamlined planning and more opportunities for Member States to tap unused funds from guaranteed budgets in a flexible manner. 

The Bulgarian official said that future CAP reforms should preserve successful policy instruments such as direct payments. It is necessary to take account of the growing challenges to agriculture and to guarantee a sufficient budget so as to bring certainty to the sector. It is essential to work towards levelling out direct payment rates so that farmers in countries with lower payments can be on an equal footing with other farmers in the EU.

Tahov stressed the need to achieve a balance in the green transformation that does not jeopardise food security or lead to negative consequences for European farmers. The environmental criteria must be clear and understandable to producers, they should be feasible in the normal course of farming and not hinder standard farming practices, Tahov said.