Lithuanian ruling party moves for parliamentary probe into 1991-2016 agriculture situation

VILNIUS - The ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LFGU) proposes to launch a parliamentary investigation into the situation in the agricultural sector between 1991 and 2016.   

Several tens of lawmakers, including Ramunas Karbauskis, the party's leader, registered a draft resolution on Friday on opening a probe into the regulation of the transfer of land ownership and farm land acquisition processes.   

The LFGU also wants to look at the transparency of EU farming support allocation during the 25 years of Lithuania's independence before they came to power.

The draft document also calls for looking into regulatory changes in the fertilizer and seed market, and agricultural research and innovation policies. 

The LFGU proposes that the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs should be given until October 1, 2019 to complete the investigation.

The ruling bloc earlier this year voted down the opposition's proposal to carry out a parliamentary investigation into agricultural matters. 

The issues then raised by the opposition included the acquisition of farming land and fertilizer imports from third countries. The initiative came after reports that Agrokoncernas, a company owned by Karbauskis, used land owned by his family members, thus possibly circumventing the 500-hectare limit on farmland ownership per natural or legal person.