site.btaAgricultural Sector Organisations Reject Agreements with Government and Continue Protests on February 13

An initiative committee, consisting of 26 branch organisations from the agricultural sector, does not support the agreements reached during the series of meetings between government representatives and several agricultural organisations, which is why protests are continuing on February 13, says a message sent by the initiative committee to the media on Saturday.

The organisations' demands are for an adequate policy in the sector that protects the interest of all branches and for the immediate resignation of Agriculture and Food Minister Kiril Vatev for, in their view, failing to deal with the problems of agriculture in Bulgaria and the purposeful dividing and opposing of NGOs.

According to the Initiative Committee, none of its organisations were allowed at the negotiating table at the meetings at the Council of Ministers.

"We do not agree with a handful of industry leaders presenting, making commitments and signing an agreement on behalf and at the expense of the entire sector. We have faced propaganda and insinuation in society that our demands are political [...] There have been attempts to instil fear by the law enforcement agencies against Bulgarian farmers in various places in the country," the Initiative Committee wrote in their statement.

Representatives of the Initiative Committee will give a press conference on February 12 at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia. The conference will present a declaration with the detailed demands of the Initiative Committee, and of those organizations that join those who disagree with the policy in the agricultural sector.

The initiative committee is continuing local protests from Monday and is preparing a protest on February 13 in front of the Council of Ministers building in Sofia.

Representatives of the initiative committee gathered in front of the Agriculture and Food Ministry on Monday, demanding the resignation of Minister Vatev.