Start checks on the biologicality of productionfollowing the ejecting of applications for the Organic Agriculture, Livestock and Beekeeping Program.
Specifically, according to information, scales, consisting of the auditors of ELGO-DIMITRAhis OPECEPE and the regions, they will carry out checks across the country of production that has been certified as biological.
It is recalled that the Minister Rural Development and FoodCostas Tsiaras, seeing the large divergences that existed between various regions of applications for joining the organic production program, ordered that payments to biological livestock and organic beekeeping be frozen, while in organic farming, although they were integrated.
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:
– Seeing 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.
As the relevant sources of the ministry report, ‘TA “bells” at the Ministry of Rural Development and Food began to 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 intent of voluntary retirement will be taken into account».
‘MThis logic is also moved by some of the producers, who have been involved in the previous program, while they are ready to return and advances they had received and supposedly going to boost 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 retirement and the refund of money they have received, they want to prevent these legal implications“Competent sources point out.