EU agricultural policies must support production - Straujuma

RIGA - Ahead of this week's European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels, Latvian Agriculture Minister Laimdota Straujuma said that it is important for the EU's common agricultural policies to be orientated towards the market and production.

“I will emphasize during the meeting that the EU's agricultural policies must be orientated towards the market and production, so that farmers are less dependent on subsidies and can be more elastic in adapting to market demands,” Straujuma told the business portal Nozare.lv.

As reported, from today until Nov. 29, Agriculture Minister Laimdota Straujuma will be participating in a European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels.

The Council will continue to discuss reforms to various Common Agricultural Policy elements - direct payments, rural development and the Single Common Market Organization.

The use of lactic acid to reduce contamination on bovine carcasses, which Latvia does not support, will also be on the agenda. The Council will also try to reach a political agreement on fishing opportunities for certain deep-sea stocks for 2013 and 2014, which Latvia approves of.