Common vision and coordinated action at all levels of agriculture and food sectors is a priority for both EU and Latvia

RIGA - A common vision and coordinated action at all levels of the agriculture and food sectors is a priority for both the European Union (EU) and Latvia in order to maintain the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as an independent and effective policy with sufficient financing, Latvian Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze (Greens/Farmers) said a meeting of the EU agriculture and fisheries ministers on Monday, May 26.

It is important for Latvia to ensure that resources for agriculture are distributed fairly and that direct payments to member countries are equalized by 2028 at the latest, Krauze emphasized. Food security, including in rural areas, is also a matter of national security. The EU's eastern border should therefore be particularly supported to ensure economic activity and prevent depopulation, he said.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, the meeting of the EU agriculture and fisheries ministers discussed the European Commission's conceptual vision of the future of agriculture and food production, as well as the situation on the agricultural market.

The ministry also notes that during the meeting, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen presented the latest proposals for simplifying the CAP, and the ministers welcomed the Commission's efforts to simplify the policy.