Aid for organic beekeeping, livestock farming scrapped over fraudulent applications

The Rural Development and Food Ministry announced Wednesday it was scrapping each assistance programs for integrated beekeeping and livestock farming, amid a rash of bogus applications by farmers to person EU subsidies.

The announcement by Minister Margaritis Schinas enactment an extremity to speculation that they could restart aft they were suspended successful October 2025, when audits revealed the grade of the scandal. The program, budgeted astatine €134 million, would allocate €19 cardinal to integrated beekeeping and €115 cardinal to integrated livestock farming.

“We are obliged to cancel the problematic actions,” Minister Margaritis Schinas said astatine a property conference, adding that “there will beryllium nary aboriginal backing until we found the due framework. We request a caller start.”

The determination does not see integrated agriculture. He added that the funds from the canceled programs “will beryllium redirected to different priorities, which we will denote soon.” He besides noted that “we are successful afloat coordination with Brussels, and they are afloat informed astir the situation.”

The Secretary General of Rural Development and Food, Spyros Protopsaltis, explained the grade of the problem, saying the inspections carried retired “highlighted problems that we cannot ignore.There were cases where 300 hives were declared and during the inspection lone three were found, while successful different cases we recovered nothing.”

According to ministry data, the fig of integrated producers accrued by 250% successful the play 2020-2024, reaching 119,000 successful 2024, from astir 34,000 producers successful 2020.

At the aforesaid time, the request for inclusion successful integrated farming programs exceeded the available resources. In agriculture, applications submitted amounted to €398 million, against an available fund of €172 million, oregon 231% of the available resources. In beekeeping, applications amounted to €166 million, against a fund of €19 million, oregon 874%, and successful livestock farming, applications would necessitate a total of €136 million, against a fund of €115 million.

Schinas explained that the Task Force is preparing proposals for a caller and much reliable model for the integrated sector. The program is expected to see a caller system of inspections and sanctions, integer tools, training initiatives, and the promotion of reforms.