The application for area payments and the deadline for grassland mowing have been extended
Area payments
In order for farmers to be able to apply for types of support that would be suitable for farms and for which they did not apply until June 26, the application deadline for area payments has been extended this year. Corrections to the geospatial application, as well as new applications, can be submitted until August 31 of this year. It should be noted that a 10% reduction will be applied to the newly requested type of support.
We draw attention to the fact that those farmers who will submit additions and new geospatial applications should expect possible additional controls to ensure the truth of the given data. On the other hand, applications submitted in time by other farmers to receive advance payments, will not be affected by this process.
Grassland
Meteorological conditions, which have been outside the norm in the spring and summer of this year in Latvia, have created difficulties for some farmers, especially those involved in animal husbandry – to mow and harvest hay or grass for fodder.
In April, May and June, the total amount of precipitation was well below the monthly norm, therefore, during the development phase of grasslands, there was a drought in Latvia, which seriously hindered the growth of grasslands.
On the other hand, in July and the beginning of August, an increased amount of precipitation was observed in Latvia, as a result, farmers in many places have had difficulties with cutting grass until August 15, which is set as the date by which the grass must be grazed or cut in order to receive EU support payments in full amount.
Taking into account the unfavorable weather conditions, the Ministry of Agriculture has provided an indentation for farmers, extending the deadline for mowing lawns until September 15 for those lawns which, due to frequent rainfall and high humidity, will not be mowed until August 15. In 2023, those areas of grasses sown in arable land, pure-sown buttercups and perennial grasses that will be grazed or mowed by September 15 of this year will also be recognized as eligible for receiving direct payments.
The Rural Support Service, when conducting inspections and evaluating the fulfillment of the requirement for grassland mowing, will pay attention to cases where the provided indentation is used with malicious intent in order to avoid the fulfillment of the support payment requirement for grassland mowing.
Information source: Rural Support Service, Ministry of Agriculture