Regional Government proposes reinforcement of measure under PRORURAL+ to ensure farmers' commitment in maintaining extensive livestock farming
The Government of the Azores will propose to the European Commission the revision of PRORURAL+ in order to enable the opening of new applications to the measure for the maintenance of the extensive livestock farming in the case of farmers who ended their commitments in 2016.
The request to the European Commission aims to increase the funding of this measure by transferring funds from other measures under PRORURAL+ with lower approval and execution rates. Hence, it will ensure the support to 231 Azorean farmers who submitted application for the 2012-2016 period and whose commitments ended in the last year.
The decision of the Government takes into account the high number of applications under this PRORURAL+ measure that have exceeded expectations. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the respective appropriations so that these producers may maintain the extensive system in their farms as well as the same level profitability and sustainability.
This measure also aims to encourage extensive farming practices as well as the maintenance of environment-friendly extensive grazing systems and ways of using agricultural land that are compatible with the protection of natural resources and soils.