Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic said that sheep and goat breeding possesses extraordinary developmental potential for agriculture as a whole and that the relevant Ministry has amended the existing legislative framework to allow for the additional development of this agricultural branch. Consulting data, he said that the Republic of Serbia gives three times more in subsidies to this branch than the EU countries, stressing that the 2017 stimulation measures will focus on producers and breeders in undeveloped areas. He added that products such as goat milk, meat and wool are an exceptional potential that undeveloped areas especially in south-eastern Serbia should utilize to their full extent. Miletic concluded that the exchange of opinions on the topic with Ministry representatives and the other participants of the sitting should significantly contribute to the enhancement of sheep and goat breeding in Serbia.

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection said that more than 85,000 i.e. one quarter of agricultural households are registered in devastated areas which makes them a developmental priority. The existing and new stimulation measures, such as start-up support for young farmers, would allow agricultural producers to use state subsidies, under favourable conditions, to set up agricultural households and bolster the areas they live in. They added that sheep and goat breeding have exceptional comparative developmental potential, mentioning the considerable growth in production of goats eligible for subsidies, 102,000 of them, in 2016, as well as 5,300 non-eligible ones, which is something to focus on in future. For 2017, 4,500 RSD subsidy per animal was allocated for autochthonous breeds. Finally, they said that two rulebooks on plant and animal products were drafted to regulate the production and sale of these products.

The participants of the sitting agreed that the Government’s current stimulation measures have yielded good results especially as regards sheep breeding, but noted that the remaining difficulties troubling farmers in this area should be the focus of future attention. They said it is imperative to set up breeding and equipment centres and testing stations, and suggested including agricultural high-schools and colleges into the process. They also mentioned the problem of safe product placement, especially goat products, and possible subsidies for registered animals. Speaking of goat breeding they said it would be good to systemically regulate artificial insemination and milk-processing registry. They agreed that in future farmers in these areas should be informed about subsidy conditions so that they could use this year’s available funds more easily.

Following a discussion, the Subcommittee members adopted Conclusions concerning the cooperation between agricultural high-schools and colleges through breeding and equipment centres and testing stations, easier product placement, stimulation of agricultural producers in devastated areas through National Employment Service programmes, allocation of registry numbers for cattle in underdeveloped areas, and keeping young animals for reproduction.

Under any other business Frida Bauman of the Alliance of Sheep and Goat Breeders of Serbia proposed that the relevant Ministry should, in the coming period, consider introducing solar panels especially in mountainous regions which would further stimulate the devastated agricultural areas in Serbia, which the Subcommittee members adopted as Conclusion on this item on the agenda.

The Subcommittee sitting was attended by Zeljko Radosevic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Nenad Terzic, Head of the Cattle Breeding Group at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Prof. Dr Slavce Hristov of the Belgrade University Faculty of Agriculture, Dr Branislav Pesic of the Prokuplje College of Agriculture and Food Technology, Dr Nevena Maksimovic of the Belgrade Institute of Animal Husbandry, Sladjan Rakic, assistant of the Zitoradje Municipal Assembly President for agriculture, Milan Rainovic, President of the Alliance of Sheep and Goat Breeders of Serbia, Frida Bauman of the Alliance of Sheep and Goat Breeders of Serbia and Tomislav Bogdanovic, Director of Svrljig Veterinary Station.

The sitting was chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic, and attended by Subcommittee members Dalibor Radicevic and MA Marko Milenkovic.