Start checks on biological productionafter ejecting applications farmer for the Organic Agriculture, Livestock and Beekeeping Program.
Specifically, according to reports, scales, consisting of ELGO-DIMITRA auditors, OPEKEPE and regions, they will check on farmers from the whole country who have been certified as organic production.
It is recalled that the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Costas Tsiaras, seeing the large divergences that existed between various regions in the applications for joining the organic production program, ordered that payments to biological livestock be “free” and biological farming and biological beekeeping.
The program had to be paid on June 30, but, based on all indications, agriculture will be paid in the next 10 days, while livestock and beekeeping will be made in mid -October.
The checks that will start will be triple:
- There will be a check on the 18 certificates of centers for the authenticity of the documents, with which the applications were made,
- Certificates will be checked in the certificates of the certification of each production, for which it has been applied and
- On -the -spot control will be carried out in the production unit whether it is agricultural, livestock or beekeeping.
According to the data, already with the “freezing” of payments, announced by Mr Tsiaras, many beekeepers and breeders have withdrew their applications, while many producers have interrupted their cooperation with certificates, which automatically leads to the certificate as they must.
According to ministry sources, “bells” in the Ministry of Rural Development and Food began to be hit when large divergences were observed between the country’s regions. No more hives were declared in the territory to justify analogous increase in organic beekeeping. The number of hives in the territory remains the same, but the number of biological cells increased. For example, Crete declared 234,887 hives and the next region, Thessaly, has declared 131,773 hives. It is also noted that about 200,000 hives were reported in Crete, while the total of the hives in this region are about 450,000. This means that more than 90% of beekeeping in Crete is biological, which is impossible to happen.
After all, the “freezing” of the payment was deemed necessary in order to have the necessary checks.
YPATA expects departures from the program, which, at the moment, amount to a few thousand to continue in the coming days, as it is assumed that voluntary retirement will not have an impact on the producer (economic and legal). On the contrary, it is estimated that the good intention of voluntary retirement will be taken into account. “
“Some of the producers, who participated in the previous program, are also moving in this logic, and they are ready to return advances, which they were supposed to go to enhance the biologicality of their production. These producers are aware that once biological controls have begun, they will probably expand to the previous program and, if irregularities are found, will not only be called upon to refund the money they have received, but will also have legal implications. Naturally, with the voluntary departure and the refund of the amounts they have received, they want to prevent these legal implications, ”said competent sources.