The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) informs that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin-Ionuț BARBU, proposed during the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AgriFish) held in Brussels the extension of the derogation for all European farmers from the implementation of GAEC 7 and GAEC 8 requirements for the year 2024. These requirements concern crop rotation (GAEC 7) and ensuring a minimum percentage of agricultural land dedicated to unproductive areas or characteristics (GAEC 8).

Romania's proposal received support from several member states, considering the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the minimal environmental impact of these derogations. The European Commission will review Romania's proposal for approval.

Regarding the topic of pesticide use, Minister BARBU stated that "Romania is one of the member states that uses one of the smallest amounts of active substance per hectare compared to the European average (0.57 kg active substance/ha, compared to 2.6 kg/ha)."

Reducing this quantity in terms of percentages, applied uniformly without considering the specificities of each member state, raises serious questions about the viability of farms and the competitiveness of farmers, as well as the assurance of food security across the European Union.

There are sufficient and easily understandable reasons why we cannot agree with mandatory national targets.

The Romanian Minister requested that the document be thoroughly analyzed at a technical level to prevent serious impact on European production and food security within the EU.

On the sidelines of the AgriFish Council, the Romanian Minister of Agriculture, along with counterparts from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, met with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, to support the extension of EU preventive measures on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds from Ukraine until the end of the year.

It should be noted that last week, in Warsaw, Minister Florin-Ionuț BARBU participated in a meeting of agriculture ministers from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, where the five officials signed a joint declaration on the need to extend EU preventive measures on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds originating from Ukraine.

Furthermore, through this declaration, the ministers proposed that the list of products subject to preventive measures remain open to allow their efficient use to address similar issues in sectors other than cereals and oilseeds.