agricultural land

ActusQ Newsletter August 2024

ActusQ August newsletter about current topicalities in European and Latvian agricultural sector has been published! At the end of the newsletter you will find selected agricultural real estate offers.

ActusQ Newsletter May 2024

ActusQ May newsletter about current topicalities in Latvian agricultural sector has been published! At the end of the newsletter you will find selected agricultural real estate offers.

The Rural Support Service invites farmers to apply for area payments in time

The Rural Support Service (RSS) invites farmers to apply for area payments as soon as possible, so that in cases where consultations are needed, they can be received in time. Farmers can apply for payments until May 22 of this year, with a delay reduction sanction until June 17, by filling out the geospatial application in the RSS Electronic Application System. Also this year, RSS accepts applications from small farms by phone.

In 2024, the requirements for receiving area and animal payments have not changed significantly, the number and types of support measures are also the same as they were in the previous season. Information about the changes can be read in the RSS post “Farmers can apply for area payments until May 22“.

If you have questions and need more information about applying for area payments, please call the customer service number +371 67095000 (on woekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or visit the Customer Service Centers in person.

The Rural Support Service continues the started approach and also organizes consultations in various places in Latvia, during which RSS employees help to fill out the geospatial application. The current consultation schedule can be viewed on the RSS website “RSS consultations on the submission of area payments“.

Information source: Rural Support Service

The data of the peat soil map will not affect the possibility of farmers to receive support payments in 2024

In February 2024, the latest and most accurate data on the spread of peat soil in Latvia were published in the rural block map of the Rural Support Service for farmers and land managers. The map is available at https://karte.lad.gov.lv/.

The purpose of the map is to inform farmers whether they have a field or part of a field that has been identified as a peatland area. Its publication does not affect the possibility for farmers to receive support payments from the Common Agricultural Policy fund in 2024.

The map shows soil in light brown color, which contains a layer of at least 40 cm at a depth of 1 m (it can be thicker depending on the amount of moss fibers) and the content of organic matter is at least 35 percent. The layer may start at a depth of the first 40 cm and does not have to be continuous.

Marked areas of peatland in agricultural land have an area of not less than 0.3 hectares.

The map was prepared in cooperation with the Norwegian Bioeconomy Research Institute, and its modeling is based on the latest available remote sensing, terrain, moisture changes, orthophoto information.

Compared to historical data collected between 1960 and 1991, the revised map shows a decrease of approximately 25 percent in total peatland area on agricultural land.

If you have questions about the creation of a layer of peat moss, please contact the Department of Agrochemistry of the State Plant Protection Service (SPPS) by e-mail: kudraugsne@vaad.gov.lv, indicating the name of the farm and the number of the field block. SPPS will contact interested parties and provide an explanation.

Information source: Rural Support Service

Up to April 2, field blocks can be updated

From February 26 to April 2, 2024, farmers have the opportunity to start clarifying field blocks by submitting a request for clarification in the Electronic Application System (EPS) of the Rural Support Service.

A request for clarification of field blocks can be submitted for the necessary corrections in field blocks, as well as for the creation of new landscape elements or the deletion of existing ones. Landscape elements can include ponds, clumps of trees or bushes, rows of trees, piles of stones, individual growing trees, large trees, alleys, large stones, etc.

The minimum area of a rural block is 0.30 hectares, while the minimum area of a field is 0.10 hectares. Only well-kept areas can be specified, that is, they are in good agricultural condition at the time of the specification application.

Before submitting a request for clarification of a rural block, RSS invites farmers to check the current situation on the map of the rural block in website karte.lad.gov.lv. After receiving the request, the specialists of the service will make an assessment and give an answer in the EPS.

More information on updating field blocks can be found on the RSS website. In case of questions and consultations, please contact the Customer Service Center by phone: +371 67095000 (on working days from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

Information source: Rural Support Service