Takac: Ministry and SPPK Agree on What Needs to Be Changed in EU's CAP Proposal

Bratislava, 5 January (TASR) - The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry and the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) have concurred on what needs to be changed in the draft new EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2028, stated Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) at a press conference on Monday following joint talks with SPPK representatives. Takac was speaking ahead of his working trip to Brussels on Wednesday (7 January) at which he's set to meet EU agriculture ministers at the request of the European Commission (EC). "There are three red lines [in the proposal] for Slovakia. The new draft allocates less money to the agricultural sector than before, which is unacceptable for us. The agricultural sector, especially in Slovakia, must receive more funding," he stressed. According to Takac, the second red line in the CAP proposal is the so-called capping of direct payments. "In Slovakia, agriculture has been based on large farms for decades. It's very important and necessary for us to maintain the voluntary nature of capping direct payments," emphasised the agriculture minister, adding that the EC's proposal would be devastating for up to 90 percent of agricultural entities in Slovakia. The minister stated that the third red line for Slovakia is the complete exclusion of food production and viticulture from the CAP after 2028. "Financial support must be maintained in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy for the food and wine sectors as well," stressed Takac, who added that he'll "speak in the spirit of the aforementioned red lines" in Brussels on 7 January. am/df