"Sheep and Goat farmers are to receive increased levels of funding in view of the fact that the Government has succeeded in getting the European Commission to allow Hungarian farmers to be given the HUF equivalent of 10 thousand euros over a three-year period, according to low importance, so-called de minimis regulations", the Ministry of Rural Development Minister of State for Agricultural Economy György Czerván announced at the general assembly of the Hungarian Association of Sheep and Goat Farmers in Herceghalom.

The Ministry is committed to paying the maximum amount of authorised funding to sheep and goat farmers in a production-dependent format. The related legislation will be published in the near future.

Mr. Czerván pointed out that the Ministry of Rural Development is providing increased de minimis funding to compensate for a reduction in EU funding for breeding ewes in 2013. The level of funding is HUF 600 more per ewe, while the maximum level of funding that may be received by a single farmer has increased by 833 euros, meaning that together with resources from the ruminant sector restructuring programme, the funding received by sheep farmers will increase significantly. The funding received by goat farmers will also increase this year.

The fact that sheep and goat stocks are increasing continuously, which is to a great extent attributable to the ruminant sector restructuring programme launched in 2012, is welcome news, Mr. Czerván said, adding that Hungarian sheep stocks in June 2013 were some 1.16 million, 810 thousand of which were breeding ewes. The number of goats was 88 thousand, including 42 thousand breeding nannies.

The production output of the sheep sector in 2012 was some 16 billion forints (almost 53 million euros), an increase of 11.5% compared to the previous year.

(Ministry of Rural Development)