The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated that the Regional Government's policies have contributed to the modernisation, revitalisation and promotion of the dairy sector. Despite the positive path that the sector has been following over the last decades, there are still challenges ahead of us.

“Reinforcing agricultural infrastructures to reduce production costs, continuing the modernisation of farms, rejuvenating the sector, investing in the promotion of Azorean dairy products and enhancing their visibility are some goals we want to achieve and for which we are working,” said João Ponte.

The government official spoke Wednesday at the presentation of the amendments to POSEI 2020, an event organised by the Bom Pastor Agricultural Cooperative on São Miguel Island. On the occasion, he highlighted the fact that more than half a thousand projects for the modernisation of farms have already been approved under PRORURAL+, an important sign of confidence in the future of the sector. In this regard, he added that a new application period for the submission of applications, amounting to four million euros, is now under way.

“Even though 114 young farmers have already entered the milk sector in the current legislative term, with first installation projects, the Regional Government considers that there are conditions for more young people to enter this sector,” stressed João Ponte. According to him, both the Young Farmer programme and the call for the first installation of farmers, currently under way, are other measures created by the Regional Government to support the development of the sector.

The government official also stated that the legal document on the cessation of agricultural activity, also known known as early retirement scheme, has already been submitted to the Legislative Assembly. In this context, the Regional Government expects to open the first applications in June, which will contribute to the necessary rejuvenation of the sector.

Regarding the promotion of milk and dairy products, João Ponte pointed out that important initiatives have been developed, such as the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification process for butter and the campaign to promote Azorean cheese in Canada.

“Enhancing the visibility of our dairy brands is one of the aspects highlighted in the Strategic Dairy Plan, a goal that needs to be achieved to help the entire sector following its path of development,” the Regional Secretary said, adding that it is necessary for the industry to continue producing more cheese and less UHT milk.