The Ministry of Agriculture informs that in order to reduce the burden of financial hardship for farmers affected by the adverse summer weather conditions, it has been decided to pay an advance on the single area payment and the organic farming payment more than 50%. Accordingly, the single area payment advance will be paid at 70% and the advance payment for organic farming at 85%.
Advance payments will be made gradually by the Rural Support Service (RSS) after 16 October and will be received by farmers whose farms have completed the eligibility check. The Ministry of Agriculture and the RSS invite farmers to check in the electronic application system whether all necessary answers have been provided to the Rural Support Service.
Funding for the Single Area Payment has increased by 11% in 2019 compared to the previous year and the provisional advance rate will be around 58 EUR/ha, while organic farming payment rates will remain unchanged, as in previous years from 97 to 485 EUR/ha.
On 2 August the Ministry of Agriculture submitted a proposal to the European Commission to allow Latvian farmers to receive an advance on the single area payment in excess of the amount provided for in the Regulation. On 17 September this year, in response to the request from Latvia and other countries and the insistence on justification or clarification of the situation, the European Commission adopted a decision to depart from the normal procedure for advance payments and to allow several Member States, including also Latvia, to pay a higher advance payment.
Information source: Ministry of Agriculture
