EU halts farmer subsidy over fraud suspicions

The European Commission has expressed doubts over the justification for some requests for compensation to farmers for subsidies for perishable fruits and vegetables. The EU hereby postpones the allocation of these subsidies on the basis of dubious claims, Z24 reports. Due to the strain on farmers coming from the Russian boycott on EU fruits and vegetables, some farmers have claimed the necessity of compensation from the European Union to support their production and export. The support of €125 million for the fruits and vegetables sector was promoted on the 18th of August as a reaction to the Russian import ban. Especially farmers of apples and pears asked for financial insurance. According to the EU, Poland has exaggerated several times its total yearly European export to Russia of some products, such as cabbages and cucumbers. This has undermined the measure. In the coming days, Brussels wants to present a more efficient and goal-oriented plan for supporting these farmers. Hereby, the Commission wants to "keep in mind the experience of the last few weeks." Despite some farmers seemingly taking advantage of the measure, European Commissioner Dacian Ciolos (Agriculture) says that the European Commission wants to show its commitment to supporting those producers who suddenly lost an important market as a result of the Russian sanctions.