site.btaOutgoing Agriculture Minister Calls for Fair Incomes, Equal Trade Standards

Bulgarian outgoing Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov said that farmers cannot be competitive without fair incomes and equal standards in trade with third countries. He made this statement at an EU agriculture ministers' meeting in Brussels, Tahov's Ministry said on Thursday.

He stressed that European farmers' loss of competitiveness is not due to their actions but results from a combination of rising costs, regulatory pressure and unequal treatment compared with imports. "The costs of energy, fertilizers, feed, labour and services continue to rise, while market returns remain uncertain. This directly threatens the economic sustainability of farms, especially in countries like Bulgaria, where incomes are below the EU average," the Minister added. He noted that the introduction of degressivity within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should not undermine farmers’ competitiveness or discriminate against their contribution to food security.

Tahov pointed out that disrupted supplies and higher prices of input further worsen farm liquidity and contribute to rising consumer prices. He singled out the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) as another major challenge to the sector. Tahov argued that payments for carbon allowances related to the production and import of ammonia and fertilizers or levies on their import will steadily push up the prices of key products in the 2026-2034 period, and every tonne of fertilizer produced or imported into the EU will come at an extra cost reflecting its carbon footprint.

Addressing his EU colleagues, the Bulgarian Minister insisted that the CAP budget should guarantee at least the current levels of support and achieve full external convergence of direct payments. He stressed the need of secure funding for rural development, investments in irrigation infrastructure, processing, and the food industry.

Tahov noted that a significant part of the administrative burden on farmers is due to a build-up of requirements outside the CAP framework. In this context, he called on the European Commission to take systematic and proportionate measures to ease the red-tape pressure, including through assessment of the cumulative impact of legislation, better coordination of sectoral policies, realistic deadlines, and greater flexibility in implementation.

On trade relations, the Bulgarian Agriculture Minister stressed that the EU cannot impose higher standards on its farmers while allowing imports of products that do not meet those same standards. He called for better alignment of production standards, more rigorous sanitary and phytosanitary controls on imports, and effective safeguard mechanisms within trade agreements. In conclusion, Tahov called for stability and predictability in policies instead of frequent revisions and introduction of new regulatory requirements.