The European Commission has approved a €2.1 million support scheme for primary producers of agricultural products in Slovenia to limit the impacts of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Direct grants were approved under the State Aid Temporary Crisis Framework, which was adopted by the commission in March this year, recognising the “serious disturbance” experienced by the EU economy.

The support scheme aims to cover part of the additional costs that primary producers in the agriculture sector incurred, due to higher prices of energy, animal feed and other raw materials, the commission said.

Schemes approved by the commission under the State Aid Temporary Crisis Framework will not exceed €35,000 per beneficiary, and will be granted no later than December 31, 2022.

Also in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the commission announced a total of €475,000 in the form of direct grants for Finnish milk and beef producers raising calves in the region of Aland.

Czech Republic

The commission recently granted €20.2 million for primary agricultural producers in the Czech Republic to minimise additional financial challenges faced by farmers, including higher input costs.

Commenting on the support scheme for Czech farmers, executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, Margrethe Vestage said:

“Agricultural producers have been hit particularly hard by the current geopolitical crisis, and its consequent impact on the prices of electricity, animal feed and fuel, among others.

“We continue working closely with member states to ensure that national support measures can be put in place in a timely, coordinated and effective way, while protecting the level playing field in the Single Market.”

Sweden

Under the State Aid Temporary Crisis Framework, the commission also recently approved a support scheme of €145 million for farmers in Sweden, focusing on the livestock sector and greenhouse production.

Livestock producers will be entitled to receive a fixed-aid amount per animal, while for greenhouse production, the aid will be calculated on the size of the area used to grow produce, including fruits, berries and vegetables, between February-June 2022.