Takac: Farmers Affected by FMD Disease Can Apply for Support

Bratislava, 7 July (TASR) - The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry on Monday launched a €44-million call for projects for farmers affected by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The funds, sourced from the Rural Development Programme and the state budget, are intended for farmers who were ordered by the state to cull their cattle due to the outbreak. The call will be open until October 1, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) announced on Monday. Under the scheme, applicants may use the support to purchase cattle up to the number they owned as of March 20, when the state of emergency was declared. Eligible expenditures also include the mandatory reconstruction of agricultural buildings and the transport of feed, manure, slurry or other potentially contaminated materials. Andrej Gajdos, President of the Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK), noted that during the outbreak a total of 8,313 head of cattle were culled, including 4,251 dairy cows. The rest consisted of heifers, pregnant heifers, bulls and calves. "I believe that this support is absolutely necessary and crucial for the Slovak Republic, as the state of livestock production here is very poor," siad Gajdos. Slovakia has the fourth-lowest number of livestock per hectare in the EU and ranks last among the Visegrad Group countries. Gajdos explained that Slovakia has just 0.33 livestock units per hectare of agricultural land, compared to the EU average of 0.72. The Netherlands, for example, has 3.56. According to Gajdos, the call will help to speed up the recovery of the affected herds, which will also impact national self-sufficiency in dairy production. Slovakia currently covers around 50 percent of its butter consumption, 60 percent of its cheese consumption, and 76 percent of milk demand. mf/df