Monday January 22, 2022, in Brussels, Kaspars Gerhards, the Minister for Agriculture, will meet Janusz Wojciechowski, the Commissioner for Agriculture of the European Commission who will also participate in the Council meeting of EU Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries.
During the meeting with the Commissioner, the Minister for Agriculture, well repeatedly draw attention to the critical situation in Latvia’s pig breeding sector and will asks the COM to immediately implement extraordinary market support and financial support measures for the Latvian pig sector being in a critical situation.
In the beginning of 2022, purchasing price for pig meat was again reduced by 8,4%. Whereas production costs are not reducing – just on the contrary, since 2020 they are continuously growing because of increase in fodder grain prices as a considerable increase in prices is showing for all the fodder grain. Current prices are the highest since 2013.
Currently, pig farms in Latvia are seeking possible solutions, still some of them were compelled to partly stop the production. In the beginning of 2022, one of the strongest and well-known pig farm SIA “Kumturi” has been put on the market.
Kaspars Gehards, the Minister for Agriculture, will also participate in the EU Council meeting of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries (Council). During the Council meeting, France, the presiding State in the EU Council, will inform on its working program and priorities of the Presidency in the area of agriculture and fisheries. Just as during the Council, COM will inform Ministers of the Member States on the situation on food market and topicalities of external trade. During the Council, Kaspars Gerhards, is also planning to emphasize the critical situation in Latvia’s pig sector and the necessity to take urgent support measures in Latvia’s pig sector.