The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment revealed that, following the measures announced today by the European Commission, the Regional Government claims a "slice" of 50% of the aid granted to Portugal, bearing in mind the weight of the regional sector in the national whole.
 
"What we will require from the National Government," as we have done when the Region claimed in September 2015 during the first activation of this aid, is "a fair distribution" that should "stand at 50 percent," said Luís Neto Viveiros.
 
Speaking to journalists, the Regional Secretary added that he already had "the opportunity to talk to the Minister [of Agriculture, Capoulas Santos] about it," adding that the negotiations will start "very soon."
 
"We will discuss these matters in the negotiating table very soon," Neto Viveiros said, recalling that the Azores produce more than 30 percent of national milk and almost 50 percent of cheese.
 
However, the Regional Secretary stressed that the Government of the Azores considered, once again, that the financial envelope of nearly four million Euros allocated to Portugal under the special aid amounting to 350 million Euros granted to milk producers is clearly insufficient milk producers. He also regretted the lack of pre-established criteria.
 
This omission "favours, once again, the strongest" insofar as it allows that this aid may be used to encourage production, the government official warned, defending that the sector needs to be regulated at EU level.
 
As for the measures announced by the European Commission in the Council of EU Ministers of Agriculture held in Brussels, Luís Neto Viveiros assessed the event in two different perspectives.
 
Regarding the allocation of a budget of nearly 150 million Euros for the whole European space, even though the financial envelope is insufficient, Neto Viveiros considered that its intention "meets" the Region's claims as it intends to "reward farmers who, for a certain time, contributed to the reduction in production" at a time when markets faced disposal difficulties; the latter should be the target of European measures.
 
In this regard, the Regional Secretary pointed out that, in the context of regional measures to support the milk sector, the Government of the Azores will introduce and launch this week a "very strong" national campaign with the aim of promoting regional milk and dairy products.
 
Neto Viveiros also announced that, after approval, the Government of the Azores will move forward will all procedures to anticipate the payment of support in October, the month from which it is possible to pay the aid granted under POSEI and PRORURAL+ by 70 and 80 percent, respectively.