The Council of the Government of the Azores has authorised the granting of financial compensation to cow milk producers who are committed to definitively abandon milk production by July 31.
 
This measure is directed to Azorean milk producers who have been engaged in this activity for 10 years or more, who are over 55 years old and whose production in 2015 - the reference year - does not exceed 200,000 litres.
 
The decision was announced today by the Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Parliamentary Affairs at the presentation of the press release from the Council of the Government that met Monday in Ponta Delgada.
 
Isabel Rodrigues revealed that "about 200 farmers throughout the Region are estimated to leave the activity with dignity. This measure also promotes the resizing and reparcelling of farms and the continuous rejuvenation of the agricultural sector.
 
The Council of the Government has also decided to create another support measure for Azorean agriculture, through a line of credit designated as SAFIAGRI III, to compensate the financial burden of loans taken out for investments in regional farms. It covers interest rates and stamp duties.                      
 
This support provides for the reimbursement of 30% of the financial burden of loans taken out for investments in farms.
 
This line covers existing loans or those taken out between June 2014 and June 2017. It will help reducing the monthly burden of farms, especially those dedicated to animal husbandry, at a time when income is declining due to the international context.
 
SAFIAGRI III will cover a maximum loan volume of about 80 million Euros.
 
As for the fisheries sector, the Government has authorised the establishment of a line of credit to support local and coastal fishing, designated as CREDIPESCA.
 
It is a medium-term line of credit for the owners of local and coastal vessels that aims to support the financing of maintenance and repair costs of vessels and equipment, including investments in the replacement of equipment  by reducing costs through the granting of a subsidy.
 
The maximum amount of credit covered by CREDIPESCA is set at two million Euros. The loans will be granted in accordance with categories, depending on the value of catches made by the vessel in the past three years; they can up to a maximum amount of 75 thousand Euros per vessel.
 
The Council of the Government has also approved a proposal for Regional Legislative Decree defining  the scheme on the first sale of fresh fish in the Region and creating the regulatory framework that will allow fishers to sell directly to final consumers at a  maximum of 50 Euros per day or 30 kilos per day. This measure will contribute to the increase of fishers' income.
 
Moreover, the Council of the Government has approved a series of investments in the area of social solidarity.
 
Through cooperation value-investment contracts, the Region will ensure the funding for the following investments: the construction of an Occupational Activity Centre of the "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" of Maia, municipality of Ribeira Grande, in the amount of 1.2 million Euros; the renewal of Mãe de Deus Home for Children and Youth and Day Nursery, municipality of Ponta Delgada, in the amount of one million Euros;  the construction of the first phase of an Intergenerational Centre in Ponta Garça with "Santa Casa da Misericórdia" of Vila Franca do Campo in the amount of two million Euros; the construction of a Day and Social Centre in Flamengos, municipality of Horta, with the Divino Espírito Santo Community  in the amount of 1.1 million Euros.