Regional Government works with milk producers to reduce production costs and promote dairy products
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated on the island of São Miguel that the reduction of production costs and the investment to enhance the efficiency of farms, the quality and the promotion of dairy products are essential to improve the income of milk producers.
“It is important to realise that without producing and without creating more value, we cannot create income and we lose identity, besides other consequences for the maintenance of the landscape and the population in rural areas,” stressed João Ponte. The government official spoke at an information session organised by the São Miguel Agricultural Association on the restructuring measures for the dairy sector adopted in the Azores.
To the farmers attending the session, the Regional Secretary stressed that it is necessary to be aware that subsidies are an aid to income, but they do not replace it, hence the focus should be oriented towards continuing to produce. In this context, it is fundamental to increasingly invest in quality, in the reduction of production costs and in the promotion of Azorean dairy products, with a strong focus on innovation, differentiation.
João Ponte stated that, during the current legislative period, the changes introduced to POSEI, developed in collaboration with the Azores Agricultural Federation, were always aimed at protecting producers' income.
“In deciding that the first 150 thousand kilos of milk have no reduction in POSEI aid, we made it possible for 33% of producers, on the island of São Miguel alone, to receive full payment of this aid.
Regarding bovine slaughter premium, 95% of milk producers also received the aid in full and we have managed to reduce the animal maintenance period,” João Ponte said, noting that all these measures were implemented with the aim of supporting the producers' income.
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture expressed his confidence that the measures defined to restructure the dairy sector in the current legislative period will be welcomed by farmers, as they intend to improve the efficiency of farms and producer's income.
"These measures have been built in conjunction with producers' organisations, which are available to farmers and contribute to improving the efficiency of farms. This is an essential aspect due to the strong pressure that currently exists on the price of milk paid to producers," said João Ponte.
In addition to the new legal scheme on the cessation of agricultural activity, which creates conditions for the dignified retirement of older farmers, the Government introduced the possibility of converting dairy farms to meat production as well as the possibility of reducing the number of animals and milk production by 20% without loss of aid under POSEI.
For the government official, these measures are the right ones and may be an important aid in the restructuring of the dairy sector, especially during the pandemic situation we currently facing. In this regard, he ensured that, if the results achieved are not the desired ones, the Regional Government will review the measures, as it has done in other areas.