Latvia - Agriculture

Short-term priorities

Agriculture

• continuation of the alignment and improvement of inspection procedures in the veterinary and plant health sector;
• modernisation of meat and dairy processing factories in order to meet European Union public health and hygiene standards.

Assessment (November 2000)

Progress has been made on the alignment of legislation on animal welfare, veterinary medicine, the identification and registration of animals, as well as in the plant health sector and on animal feed. The equipment of border posts is continuing. Hygiene standards have been adopted for some products including meat and milk. Factories are slow in complying with European health requirements.

Assessment (November 2001)

Progress has been made on plant health and veterinary legislation and on border controls. Although some provisions have been adopted, there is still no action plan for food processing plants.

Assessment (October 2002)

Latvia has continued its efforts in the veterinary sector by setting up a food and veterinary service and tightening up veterinary and food safety controls.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

Agriculture

• alignment with the agricultural "acquis" (especially in veterinary and plant health matters and, in particular, on external border controls);
• consolidation of land ownership patterns and development of a rural policy;
• development of the capacity to implement the common agricultural policy, particularly as regards administrative structures and the basic management mechanisms intended to monitor agricultural markets and to implement structural and rural development measures;
• adoption and implementation of veterinary and plant health requirements;
• upgrading of some food processing establishments and some testing and diagnostic facilities;
• restructuring of the agri-food sector.

Assessment (October 1999)

No progress has been made in this area.

Assessment (November 2000)

No progress has been made on these priorities.

Assessment (November 2001)

There has been progress on agricultural policy management mechanisms and on food hygiene following the adoption of a strategy in April 2000. Efforts have continued in the veterinary and plant health sectors.

Assessment (October 2002)

Latvia has set up a veterinary and food office and the Sapard agency has been approved.

Efforts will have to be made to align with the Community acquis and strengthen the institutional capacity needed to implement the common agricultural policy.

Fisheries

A satellite monitoring system has been introduced, a computerised fishing fleet register has been established and a detailed plan for implementing intervention mechanisms has been drawn up. However, efforts are still needed on inspection and control.

Assessment (October 2002)

Efforts to complete alignment have continued. Administrative capacity must be increased and certain areas such as structural policy and market policy improved.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Decision 98/263/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121, 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/854/EC of 6.12.1999Official Journal L 335, 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2004 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 703 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 506 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 706 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001) 1749Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002) 1405Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1203Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004