The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry published in the Official Journal an ordinance on the legislative amendments to POSEI programme resulting from the proposals presented by the Azores, which were fully accepted by the European Commission.
 
The approved regional proposals were the result of the contributions and negotiations with all the partners in the regional agricultural sector, starting with the Azores Agricultural Federation.
 
Under POSEI 2018, there is a 68% increase in the budget allocation for the maintenance of vineyards towards the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) certification, PDO liqueur wine certification and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). This is fast-growing sector in the Region that has contributed to the external recognition of the archipelago. The amount allocated grew from 290 thousand Euros in 2017 to more than 487 thousand Euros this year.
 
In turn, the aid to the production of fruit and vegetables, cut flowers and ornamental plants increased 9.6%, from nearly 1.3 million Euros to more than 1.4 million Euros.
 
The ordinance published today also defines that producers of pineapples, horticultural crops, flowers and ornamental plants who are approved for organic production, PGI or PDO certification are excluded from the initial apportionment in order to encourage their production using environmentally-friendly production methods.
 
In regard to the premium for the slaughter of bovines, the payment will be made in two semesters, instead of a single payment, as it has been done so far. This will improve the liquidity of farms throughout the year.
 
For cattle slaughtered in the first semester, between January 1 and June 30, the premium will be paid in December, while the payment for the second semester, July 1 to December 31, will be made in April.
 
Given the strategic importance of the meat sector in the Azores, the amendments introduce a redistribution criterion on the premium for the slaughter of cattle, i.e., if the funds available are not fully used, the remaining amount will be redistributed, proportionally, to all applicants.
 
With regard to the Aid Scheme for the Disposal of Young Bovines from the Azores, the maximum period of tolerance between the removal of animals, aged 18 months or less, from farms and the date of their export is increased by one month, thus foreseeing any delays that might occur due to bad weather conditions.
 
The POSEI programme has been extremely important for the development of the agricultural sector in the Azores as it allocates a series of financial resources that have minimised the high production costs in a geographically dispersed region that is far away from the main markets.