Exceptional measures to support wine, fruit and vegetable sectors

The EU has launched a series of exceptional measures to support the wine, fruit and vegetable sectors.

The support measures for the wine sector adopted today include increasing support for risk management tools such as harvest insurance and mutual funds, and extending the flexibility measures already in place until October 15, 2022. For the fruit and vegetable sector, support to producer organisations – usually calculated based on production value – will be compensated to not be lower than 85 per cent of last year’s level.

Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said: “From the spring frosts, floods to heatwaves, the extreme weather conditions have been particularly challenging for the wine, fruit and vegetable sectors this year. This comes after an already complicated 2020 year due to the Covid-19 crisis. These much needed support measures will relief producers across the EU during these difficult times, on top of the ones already put forward in 2020 and extended in 2021.”

For the fruit and vegetable sector, EU support to producer organisations – usually calculated based on the production value of the year – will be compensated to be at least at 85 per cent of last year’s level even if this year’s value is lower.

The compensation will be offered when the reduction of production is linked to natural disasters, climatic events, plant diseases or pest infestations; outside of the producer organisation’s control and at least 35 per cent lower compared to the previous year.

In addition, if producers prove that they took preventive measures against the cause for production reduction, the production value used for support will be the same as last year.

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