Considering the embargo imposed by Russia on foodstuffs from the European Union, on Friday, 24 October, the Baltic Assembly adopted an appeal to the European Commission to promptly take a positive decision on granting of direct compensatory aid to milk producers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in order to avoid irreversible consequences in the milk sector of the Baltic States
The appeal states that there is a need to provide urgent support to milk producers of the Baltic States at least for a period of five to six months until milk processing enterprises find new markets and the situation in the milk sector stabilises.
The parliamentarians of the Baltic States also noted that market regulation measures in the milk sector have so far focused on the milk processing industry. However, the present-day situation shows that the most vulnerable link is farmers engaged in milk production. Recently, average farm gate milk prices in the Baltic States have been approximately 30 per cent lower than the EU average, and they may fall by another 20 per cent in the near future. In view of such an unfavourable situation, farmers are forced to reduce the number of cows held.
The parliamentarians emphasised that in September this year, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development promised to search for possibilities to support farmers of the most affected countries; however, no decisions in this regard have been made yet.
The appeal notes that the Baltic States used to export a significant part of milk products to Russia; hence, it is in our states that the milk sector has suffered the largest negative impact caused by the embargo compared to milk sectors of other EU Member States.
The appeal was adopted at the 33rd Session of the Baltic Assembly in Tallinn, Estonia.
About the Baltic Assembly:The Baltic Assembly is an interparliamentary cooperation organisation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania established on 8 November 1991. Each national parliament of the Baltic States is represented in the
Baltic Assembly by 12 to 20 members of parliament. It is a coordinating and consultative organisation which has a right to express its opinion to the national parliaments and governments of the Baltic States, as well as the Baltic Council of Ministers, in the form of resolutions, decisions, declarations and recommendations; it also has a right to request the above-mentioned bodies to provide information on cross-border issues that are high on the Baltic Assembly’s agenda.
Saeima Press Service