On Monday, July 18, Brussels, the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries is planning discussions on the proposal for a regulation on a sustainable use of the new plant protection products (AAL), which the European Commission intends to reduce the use of AAL by, requiring Member States to achieve the reduction of not less than 50 per cent.
Latvia, in general, supports the need to look for solutions for sustainable use of AAL at European Union level, but in the Council of Ministers, Latvia will insist that a more balanced approach is needed to such a cardinal reduction of AAL, which will not only fail to contribute to the competitiveness of our farmers, but will also reduce yields in conditions where the availability of food in the world is particularly crucial. It is important that AAL per hectare already used in Latvia is at a lower level as compared to what is used per hectare in the European Union on average.
Given the challenges on the food market, the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries is monthly discussing the situation on the agricultural market caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Officials will express Member States' views on the provision of crops this year in the EU and globally, taking into account the situation in Ukraine. The necessary measures will also be discussed to help Ukraine export grain stocks that cannot be removed from the country due to the war.
Member States will discuss progress in the approval of the new strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is necessary to enable the new CAP measures to be introduced.
The agenda is to discuss the conclusions of the Council of the EU on the new EU aquaculture strategy. The conclusions reflect the main challenges to be addressed in EU aquaculture and the key elements that need to be developed.
Officials of the Member States will also familiarize themselves with the work program of the current Presidency of the EU Council, the Czech Republic, for the end of this year. Ravis Kronbergs, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, will participate in the meeting of the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries.