The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated in Lisbon that the Regional Government "supports the increase of POSEI funds over current appropriations," noting that the last amendment occurred in 2010. Since then, there have been successive apportionments to the premiums allocated, which "demonstrates the need for its revision."
 
"The Government of the Azores will remain committed to its defence," assured João Ponte. The government official spoke in a hearing with the Working Group for the Dairy Sector of the Committee on Agriculture and the Sea of the National Assembly.
 
"Due to the complex situation we are experiencing, which is the result of the deregulation of milk markets, POSEI itself should provide forms of additional support to address this kind of situation insofar as it entails extra costs to maintain the competitiveness of production in the Azores," said João Ponte.
 
The Regional Secretary considered that POSEI is a key tool to support and defended the maintenance of the programme as the Azores are an Outermost Region. This "should allow a specific treatment under the CAP in the adaptation of programmes such as POSEI and PRORURAL+ to our reality."
 
Before the members of the Assembly, João Ponte also defended that "Brussels need more effective monitoring mechanisms to monitor this sector and the impact of the end of milk quotas on the Azorean producers."
 
"We cannot forget that our remoteness imposes on us a series of constraints, namely the distance from markets," said the government official. According to him, this "doubles the effect of insularity, which is reflected in the costs of farms in the Region."
 
João Ponte highlighted the importance of the Azorean Milk and Dairy Centre (CALL), whose mission is to monitor and take action in the regional milk and dairy sector. The Regional Government, the production sector and dairy industries are represented at this body.
 
On the other hand, he highlighted the quality of the milk produced in the Azores and the fact that, currently, the dairy industry is a modernised industry that plays a key role in the revitalisation and organisation of farms.
 
The Region's natural conditions present unique features for milk production from grazing, thus resulting in high-quality milk.
 
In 2015, milk production in the Azores reached its peak, standing at 610 million litres, which represented an increase of eight percent compared to the previous year.
 
By October 2016, there was a drop of 1.14% in cumulative production of cow milk in the Azores. This decrease was still higher at the national level, representing 4.1%.
 
In this period, milk production in the Azores represented 33.2% of the national overall production.
 
"The weight of milk production in the Azorean economy requires the careful consideration of national and Community authorities regarding the impact of the end of milk quotas on the regional economy," says João Ponte.