“Whatever is due we have paid, what is due we have done.”
This is how Agriculture Minister Kiril Vatev commented from the Albena resort on today’s protest of livestock breeders in Sofia, which started at the Ministry building and continued to the Council of Ministers. Minister Vatev is in the resort “Albena” to participate in the eleventh National Agricultural Seminar, organized by the National Association of Grain Producers.
“The problem is that five people want us to break the regulation of the European Union. We cannot violate this regulation, because that leads to sanctions”, Minister Vatev also said. He added that everything possible has been done, but the protesters are making impossible demands.
“A normal dialogue is needed, but there needs to be normal thinking on both sides. I am ambitious not to resign”, commented Kiril Vatev. The demands of the protesters, which were also announced today, are the immediate payment of the de minimis money and the Ukrainian aid, the return of the old rates, which have been reduced.
We remind you that farmers and animal breeders came out in protest. The procession started at 11:00 a.m. from the Ministry of Agriculture and will end in front of the Council of Ministers. The protesters demanded the resignation of relevant minister Kiril Vatev.
The reason for the dissatisfaction is that the requests to improve the financial situation in the industry have not been met. According to the protesters, the support from the state is insufficient and is causing the Bulgarian livestock industry to perish. Two months ago, the protests were quelled with the signing of a memorandum.
The organizers of the protest shared:
– Reduction of the transitional national aid rate from BGN 200 to BGN 73.67 for cattle and from BGN 337 to BGN 129.60 for a buffalo.
– Tied support has been reduced by 30-40% compared to previous years under the cattle and buffalo schemes.
– Many of the farmers did not receive the funds for compensation for the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
– Almost no funds for state aid are foreseen in the 2024 Budget.
