On Tuesday, 4 August, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to the Regulation on the requirements and control procedures for the integrated cultivation, storage and labelling of agricultural products. The amendments establish clear requirements for planting distances and the minimum number of plants per hectare for nursery-grown fruit tree and berry plant planting material, bush berry plants, raspberry and blackberry plants, as well as melons and watermelons.
Until now, the regulation did not set specific planting density requirements for these crops. Therefore, the regulation has been supplemented with conditions that will ensure a uniform approach to assessing crop compliance and enable the State Plant Protection Service (SPPS) to verify compliance with these requirements during inspections.
The updated requirements are also necessary because fruit tree and berry plant planting material, melons and watermelons are included in the list of eligible crops for which farmers can receive support for environmentally friendly horticultural practices in accordance with the conditions of direct payments and support under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). To receive the support, growers will have to ensure the specified planting distance and minimum number of plants per hectare.
The amendments will apply to natural and legal persons registered in the Register of Integrated Cultivation of Agricultural Products who grow the above-mentioned crops. During its regular inspections at growers’ holdings, the SPPS will additionally assess compliance with the requirements for planting distance and the minimum number of plants per hectare.
The amendments to Regulation No. 1056 “Requirements and Control Procedures for the Integrated Cultivation, Storage and Labelling of Agricultural Products” will enter into force on the day following their publication in the official gazette Latvijas Vēstnesis.
