Brussels, 23/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Committee on Agricultural Structures of the European Union (STAR committee) has given its approval to rural development programmes in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Malta for 2004-2006.
Latvia: The total budget for the programme will be 410 million EUR, including a Community contribution of 328.1 million EUR. The priority themes of Latvia's programme are: -early retirement from farming; -aid to less-favoured areas and semi-subsistence farms; -greater respect by farmers of Community standards relating to the environment, public health, animal and plant health, and animal welfare; -setting up producer groups.
Estonia: With a total budget of 188 million EUR, the programme will enjoy a Community contribution of 150.5 million EUR. The main themes of the programme are: -respect for Community environmental standards; -support for less-favoured areas; -the possibility for the State to top up EU direct payments; -afforestation of abandoned farmland.
Lithuania: Of a total budget of 608 million EUR, 489.5 million EUR will come from the Community budget to pay for measures related to farmers' early retirement, and support to less favoured areas.
Malta: 33.6 million EUR in total, 26.9 million of which will be provided by the EU, will help to plug structural gaps weighing on trade in agricultural products, reduce the effects of soil erosion and help less favoured areas. Furthermore, in order to allow farmers and the food processing industry to phase in measures of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Malta is to adopt a "special market policy for Maltese agriculture", providing for taxes to be replaced by direct support to farmers' income, and aid to restructure the processing industry.