TALLINN – In a situation where Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras is on vacation and Prime Minister Kristen Michal is letting this happen, the rural affairs committee of the Estonian parliament must take responsibility for managing the country's agricultural policy during this difficult time, Lauri Laats, chairman of the parliamentary group of the Center Party, said.
"I am proposing to the head of the rural affairs committee, Urmas Kruuse, to immediately convene an extraordinary sitting to discuss and seek solutions to the concerns that have arisen recently. In a crisis situation, representatives of the sector expect specific messages and quick action from the government, but the extraordinary passivity of the minister responsible for the field is having a negative impact on rural life," Laats said.
Estonia is facing a second large-scale outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), with nearly 10,000 pigs awaiting culling. The case of the Nurme farm in Viljandi County requires a special approach, as 30 additional samples taken after the discovery of the disease turned out to be negative.
"The samples have already been sent to a foreign laboratory for additional analysis, but the wish still is to start the culling before the results arrive. However, Minister Terras has evaded responsibility," Laats said before news that the culling would be put on pause until the results are known.
According to Laats, the spread of ASF will have a significant impact on domestic pig farming and will severely impact the sustainability of the sector.
"Do entrepreneurs who have invested in pig farming have the strength to continue? What impact has the volatile spring weather had on the harvest? Will all this lead to another increase in food prices? The rural affairs committee must seek answers to these questions at the beginning of the new week at the latest," he said.
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