Breeders will be happy. They will get more money under the Animal Welfare eco-scheme. Who exactly and for what?
A draft regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development amending the regulation on the detailed conditions and detailed procedure for granting and paying financial assistance under animal welfare schemes under the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027 was submitted for consultation.
This is the answer, among others: to the need signaled by industry organizations to provide special welfare support to farmers participating in the national QMP and QAFP quality systems, but also to implement the request of the Polish Horse Breeders Association to provide support to farmers who keep horses in an open system on one farm and stallions in closed rooms/buildings.
Two other changes were also signaled.
Antibiotics away
Thus, the Ministry of Agriculture proposes:
- Introduction of regulations that will enable farmers participating in the national QAFP and QMP quality systems to receive welfare payments – but note: this depends on the decision of the European Commission to approve changes to the PS CAP 2023-2027 in this respect.
– Adding a new practice under the Animal Welfare ecoscheme to reward farmers participating in national quality schemes that include an element of limiting the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry will contribute to counteracting the growing phenomenon of resistance to antimicrobial products among both animals and people medicinal products, including antibiotics – emphasized in the justification.
- Introducing regulations obliging farmers implementing the Animal Welfare eco-scheme to undergo a one-time training on methods limiting the use of antibiotics. This requirement will apply from March 15, 2024.
– The expected effect of the proposed change will be an increase in the level of knowledge among farmers in the field of methods limiting the use of antibiotics, which may contribute to counteracting the growing phenomenon of resistance to antimicrobial medicinal products, including antibiotics, both among animals and people – we read in the justification .
Support for those keeping horses
- Introduction of regulations that, from the 2024 campaign, will enable farmers who keep horses in an open system on one farm and stallions in rooms/buildings to join the Animal Welfare eco-scheme.
– The expected effect of the proposed change will be to provide welfare support to an additional group of farmers keeping horses in an open system, with the exception of stallions that are permanently kept in rooms/buildings – it was noted.
Double payment exclusion
- Introducing regulations that will make it possible to exclude from welfare payments for suckler cows or dairy cows an animal that was previously included in the welfare payment for fattening.
– The expected effect of the proposed change will be the elimination of the possibility of granting welfare support to farm animals as part of the welfare payment for slaughter animals, i.e. contrary to the CAP PS 2023-2027 – emphasized in the justification.
The existing regulations lacked a mechanism preventing a farmer from obtaining payments for an animal intended for further breeding and receiving payments to the same animal twice – under the Welfare of fattening variant and then under the Welfare of suckler cows kept indoors or in buildings variant or under the Welfare of suckler cows kept indoors or in buildings variant The well-being of sucklers kept in an open system or as part of the Welfare of dairy cows variant.
The changes are dedicated to the group of 94 thousand. beneficiaries of direct payments.
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