Commission Suspends Support Program for Fruit and Veg Suppliers After “Disproportionate Surge In Claims”

11 Sep 2014 --- The European Commission has today suspended the emergency market measures for perishable fruit and vegetable markets (worth 125 million €) announced on August 18 in the wake of the Russian measures banning imports of certain EU agricultural products.

There has been strong interest from the sectors concerned, but the scheme has to be closed due to a disproportionate surge in claims – for example where the figures submitted for some products are several times higher than the total EU average annual exports to Russia.

In order to prolong the effectiveness of the emergency measures and still achieve the objective of stabilising the markets for these products in all Member States affected by the Russian embargo, the European Commission will come forward with a more targeted scheme in the near future, taking into account the experience of the past weeks.

European Commission Dacian Ciolos stated: "The European Commission remains committed to support those producers who have suddenly lost an important market because of the Russian measures. I intend to present a new scheme in the coming days which is more targeted and efficient and which will continue on from this scheme."

On August 18 the Commission announced emergency market measures worth up to 125m€ to fund withdrawals (for free distribution or other destinations), green harvesting and non-harvesting of perishable fruit & vegetable most immediately impacted by the Russian measures, with a ceiling of 82m€ for apples & pears and 43m€ for the other fruit & vegetables. More precisely, the regulation covers tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, sweet peppers, cauliflowers and headed broccoli, cucumbers and gherkins, mushrooms, apples, pears, plums, soft fruit, fresh table grapes and kiwifruit, at the withdrawal prices set in the regulation, open to all producers, but with a higher level of EU support for those who are members of Producer Organisations.

The regulation requires Member States to notify the Commission every Monday and Thursday of the volumes so far claimed. The volumes notified by Member States to the Commission on September 8, relating to amounts covered in claims from August 18 to September 3, indicate that the financial ceilings in the Regulation have been reached for apples & pears and for the other products, and so the measure must be suspended.