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The Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr Georgi Tahov asked the European Commission for protective measures against the import of honey from Ukraine to Bulgaria. This took place during the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, Belgium. Our country's call was supported by Romania. Minister Tahov stressed that the import of Ukrainian honey hinders the marketing of local production. He pointed out that the significant quantities of Ukrainian honey at very low prices entering the European market put great pressure on the prices of Bulgarian honey. "In addition to the many challenges the sector is already facing, over the past three years it has also faced competition from Ukrainian import. The quantity of honey imported from Ukraine to our country from January to October 2024 is more than 30% higher than in the same period for the past year," he said. In his words, the high levels of import from Ukraine put producers in Bulgaria in a difficult situation".

During the meeting, ministers discussed the challenges and future prospects in the different agricultural sectors. Regarding cereals and oilseeds, Minister Tahov reported that, Bulgaria's sunflower and maize production is down by 11.5% and 38.1% respectively, on an annual basis. "This is a consequence of the dry and hot weather during the summer months, which has led to a serious reduction in average yields per hectare in spring crops. Purchase prices at the end of October 2024 cannot compensate for this decrease. This creates a serious negative financial result and irrecoverable loss for farmers," emphasized Dr Georgi Tahov. He noted that the egg market in the country continues to experience disruptions as a result of sharply increased import from Ukraine. 

During his visit to Brussels, at the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture of Hungary, Minister Tahov participated in a meeting with the Ministers of Agriculture of Member States near the border with Ukraine and the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Vitaliy Koval. During the meeting, ministers discussed the Commission's forthcoming proposal to amend Article 29 of the Association Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part. Minister Tahov pointed out that in recent years the situation on the agricultural market in the EU, especially in countries close to the border with Ukraine, has been subjected to a high level of uncertainty and instability. In his words, this creates tension among producers and negatively affects the sector as a whole. "Finding a long-term solution is key to achieving stability and predictability in the sector. This solution must be balanced and reflect the interests of all parties involved", Minister Tahov insisted. Our country and 11 other countries supported Spain's request to apply the N+3 rule, instead of the originally foreseen N+2 rule, for the spending of the Fund for Rural Development in the Strategic Plans of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture said that, this would provide flexibility for Member States to plan and implement their Strategic Plans more effectively.

At the meeting, the European Commission presented the proposal for a Council Regulation setting fishing opportunities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for 2025. Minister Tahov indicated that he expected fishing opportunities for the Black Sea to be based on available scientific advice and to take into account the socio-economic aspect of fishing for turbot and sprat. The Bulgarian Minister of Agriculture was adamant that the proposal for a Regulation takes into account the ongoing complicated situation in the Black Sea due to the war in Ukraine. He expressed his hope that the unused quantities of the turbot quota would be reflected therein. "The common goals of sustainable management of shared stocks can only be achieved by joint and reciprocal action by all Black Sea coastal states," said Dr Georgi Tahov.  

Ministers of Agriculture also discussed the drafting of a strategy to improve the production and use of protein crops at EU level. Minister Tahov said that our country supports the development of a comprehensive strategy to build on the impact and results of the instruments implemented so far, aimed at supporting the production of protein crops.

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