According to a press release, the Board of the Azores Agricultural Federation expressed “its deep concern about the failure to comply with the financial commitments made by the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food to the agricultural sector,” it revealed.

According to the Azores Agricultural Federation, the delay in these payments “jeopardizes the income and sustainability of farmers and the proper functioning of the Associations.”

At issue are subsidies relating to “the completion of payments for aid for the slaughter of cattle in 2021 (compensation due to COVID-19); the payment of the slaughter premium and supplement for cattle for the second half of 2024; the payment of aid and maintenance support for vineyards; payment of the decree on bad weather and the creation of missing decrees, which, despite having been recognized by the Secretariat, producers have not yet been compensated; payment of SAFIAGRI (financial costs), which, despite having been announced, has not been implemented; support for the purchase of forage corn and sorghum seeds, which was announced in 2024 by the President of the Regional Government; payment of the voluntary reduction in milk production in 2024; the implementation of financial support for associations and cooperatives and the opening of new applications for 2025,” revealed the Federation.

The board also argued that “the €16 million that the Republic will transfer to the Azores should benefit producers and not be allocated to the regional budget, which is used to pay apportionments,” explaining that these same payments, some of which are at least a year overdue, ” are having a negative impact on the liquidity of farms and, as a result, a downturn that is reflected in economic activity, in which agriculture plays a significant role.”

“The Government must find a sustainable way to make the payments and publish a calendar of regional support,” stressed the Azores Agricultural Federation, which called on the Regional Government “to honor its formal commitments, safeguarding the principle of institutional good faith and recognizing the strategic importance of the agricultural sector for the social, economic, and territorial cohesion of the Azores,” it concluded.

In Diário dos Açores