Government: New status for Small Family Farming in force until March.
The new Statute for Small Family Farming is in effect until March 2018 and will enshrine rights such as priority access to EU funds and a tax regime “more favorable” for these farmers, today announced the Government.
Speaking to Lusa agency, Agriculture Minister, Forestry and Rural Development, Luis Capoulas Santos, He explained that at issue is one “bill of rights” for one “segment with an impact and a much higher social importance to their economic importance, […] because it is the rural population occupying territories, whose depopulation of the last decades has been so sadly illustrated in the recent tragedy of the fires”.
from logo, according to the ruling, “it is intended that small farming has priority access to EU support measures, is investment, is other income support measures”.
At the same time, it is anticipated that these farmers have one “social security system and more favorable tax”, as well as “special arrangements with regard to food hygiene and safety standards in small dairies, salsicharias, queijarias”, whatever “simpler than that which is required for the general industry”, this “subject to the basic rules with regard to consumer safety”, needed.
“We also want to facilitate access to local markets and to support measures accordingly, since the marketing of products is the main problem of small farmers”, pointed Capoulas Santos.
Concerned are still measures the adequacy of the requirements for the type of agriculture, immediately in the volume of marketed production, the creation of specific credit lines for this segment and the transfer priority to lease state land.
The government created last September a working group with the task of presenting, until the third week of November, proposals for the Statute for Small Family Farming, according to a notice published in height.
Before, the Government had created the Interministerial Commission for the Small Family Farming, in office since the end of August to prepare this status.
we last 20 year old, according to the Government, It has lost a large number of small farms, currently settling at around 284 thousand farms qualified as family, that represent 93% the total number of holdings and 49% of the utilized agricultural area.
“Rural living world requires people and for people to live in him must have decent. And it is through this status we want to improve a bit the living conditions of this important segment of our agriculture”, noted Capoulas Santos.
Agriculture Minister explained that, to have this status, it is necessary to be recognized as small family farmer, title is obtained under conditions as have more than 18 year old, a farm in which the labor-wage work is not superior to the family, registered property and a lower billing to about 20 thousand euros.
Despite admitting that not all producers to comply with these requirements, the official said to be “convinced that it will be very large number of those who are able to benefit from this status”.
The official estimated that “by the end of first quarter 2018” this status is in effect, after a final approval by the Council of Ministers, promulgation and publication in the Official Gazette.
