Discontent farmers launch association to defend their interests

Farmers who have been pointing to long-term problems in agriculture are to set up a professional organisation to promote their interests. "Throughout the course of next week we'll have the statutes completely drafted and will apply for registration, in the form of a civil association for the time being," Patrik Magdoško of the Farmers' Initiative told journalists on Thursday. The discontent farmers, who staged a protest in Bratislava in June, expect to meet Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini as planned. Farmers insist that the Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) should pay subsidies only to individuals and companies that have contractual ties to the land. They claim that despite court rulings in their favour, they cannot regain access to their land and face threats from financial groups active in agriculture. Farmers welcomed the approach of Prosecutor-General Jaromír Čižnár, who announced on Monday (July 16) that of the 36 files with matters related to self-employed farmers, criminal prosecutions had been launched in nine cases.