It was this spring that the government, in agreement with, among others, the Center Party, decided on a crisis aid of around three billion kroner aimed at farmers in animal production, professional fishing and greenhouse farming. Now the opportunity opens for those who run activities in the animal sector and greenhouse companies.
Agriculture Minister Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S) promises that the money will go out quickly.
“The assessment is that if you start applying today, it shouldn’t take more than one to two weeks,” she tells TT.
Gotta get out fast
That the crisis money reaches the farmers quickly is extremely important, according to Åsa Odell, vice president of the industry organization Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund (LRF).
She is a pig farmer herself and says that support from the government is absolutely crucial for the Swedish farmers.
— During my 30 years in the industry, I have never seen similar price increases. Above all, it is feed that has increased sharply in price, it has more than doubled in the past year, she says.
At the same time, she is critical of the cap on support hitting pig farmers harder than others. 30 percent of the pig farmers who can apply for support are estimated to hit the ceiling and not receive as much money as they need due to the regulations. The figure for other businesses is 10 percent.
In addition, the price of pork on the market has not increased at the same rate as for other meat and milk.
Extra support for farmers in the north
When asked if the money will be enough, Sätherberg replies that it is a “proper help”.
— The farmers have also received some settlements and received a little more payment for, for example, the milk. Overall, it’s a very good support.
The government has also decided on an extra support package for farmers who are active in Norrland.
For farmers in the poultry sector, the application period expires on August 9. So far, 375 businesses have applied for the support, according to the County Administrative Board in Östergötland, which is responsible for these.