The European Commission has taken a decision to allow EU member states, including Latvia, to pay a larger advance of the single area payment (SAP) and organic farming payment. SAP advance will exceed that of the previous years by 20% and will be paid in the amount of 70 per cent, the organic farming advance payment will be paid in the amount of 85 per cent.

This decision was made to reduce the financial difficulties and cash flow problems farmers are experiencing as a result of Covid-19 pandemic. The Rural Support Service (RSS) will make the first advance payments from 16 October. SAP advance will be paid to farmers, whose farms will have passed the administrative checks, organic farming payment advance will be paid to farmers, whose farms will have passed the verification of eligibility conditions, therefore the Ministry of Agriculture and RSS ask farmers to ascertain in the electronic application system that they have provided all
the required answers to RSS.

102 million euro are scheduled to be paid in the single area advance payments in October. The planned rate of the single area payment this year is larger than in previous years – approximately 90 euro per hectare, and farmers will receive 61,6 euro per hectare as advance. Organic farming payment rate (depending on crops grown) remains at the same level – from 97 to 485 euro per hectare.

In case of farmers, who received SAP advance payment in the form of a short-term loan in the summer, the granted loan will be first deducted from the calculated total amount of the aid. The remaining amount will be transferred to the farmer’s bank account. RSS will begin payment of other area payments in December this year.

Information source: Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Support Service