Agriculture Minister threatens to withhold EU money from new fields
Finland’s Minister of Agriculture Juha Korkeaoja (Centre) has threatened to withhold the most important European Union subsidies from newly-cleared fields. In his view Finland already has enough arable land.
According to Korkeaoja, fields that are cleared this year and next would not be eligible for environmental subsidies, or for LFA subsidies (paid as a compensation for difficult conditions of nature). CAP subsidies, paid to compensate lower prices, would also be more difficult to get.
The cutbacks would also apply to land acquired from another farmer which had been taken out of production more than ten years ago with the help of a special subsidy.
"There are already enough fields in Finland. Clearing more will increase the surface area of grain production, which is already excessive. That, for its part, reduces the market price of grain and eats at the farmers’ income", Korkeaoja points out.
Finland has about 2,212,000 hectares of field. In four years the surface area under cultivation has grown by about 25,000 hectares.
The greatest amount of new field has been cleared from forest in Ostrobothnia. In Kalajoki, for instance, fields covering tens of hectares have been cleared in the middle of the forests there.
"The new fields reduce the total amount of subsidy money", Korkeaoja says.
"Removing EU support would be a smack on the ear, and would endanger the structural development of agriculture", responds Jouni Jyränki, executive director of the Central Ostrobothnia branch of the Central Union of Farmers and Agricultural Producers.
Many cattle farms have recently increased their number of animals, and need new fields to absorb the manure that is produced. One of the conditions of environmental subsidies is that manure must be spread on fields.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 21.9.2004 - TODAY |
 Agriculture Minister threatens to withhold EU money from new fields |
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