Farmers are protesting a plan by Agriculture Minister Ján Mičovský
Farmers are protesting a plan by Agriculture Minister Ján Mičovský (OĽaNO) to redirect 15% of this year’s direct payments (€60m; the basic farming subsidy) towards subsidies for new projects. Even without this, direct payments would fall €57m this year as Slovakia has decided to stop moving money from project subsidies to direct payments. Initially, the direct payments were to be cut from last year’s €137 per hectare to €119, but Mičovský wants to reduce them to €98. Basic cattle subsidies are being cut too. Farmers are also protesting that Mičovský intends to move some of the money towards forests. The project farming subsidies have been a major source of corruption and it is unclear the new government can change this.
