The Ministers’ Council for Agriculture and Fisheries met in Brussels yesterday (19.05), under the presidency of Athanasios Tsaftaris, Greek Minister for Rural Development and Food.

The Council examined the Commission's Report (21.02) on the establishment of a European fund for plant protection products used on a small scale (minor uses), and supported the setting up of a coordination facility aimed at enabling the development of additional tools to control diseases for minor crops. These plant protection products are very important for farmers, particularly in countries such as Greece, where plant production is characterized by a wide range of specialized crops such as fruit, vegetables and floricultural plants.

Other items on the agenda included the reducing of food loss and waste, the protection of animals during their transport, the agricultural aspects of climate policy and energy by 2030, issues relating to the state aid to young farmer for land acquisition in the framework of the rural development programmes, as well as measures to protect EU citrus from the risk of the "black spot" disease that has occurred in Africa.

See also Greek News Agenda: AGRidiversity @ Athens