The Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs met with a delegation of the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Committee of the Danish Folketing under the leadership of René Christensen, Chairman of the Committee, accompanied by Mette Gjerskov, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries of Denmark.

At the meeting, Bronius Pauža, Deputy Chair of the Seimas Committee, briefed the guests on the current situation in agriculture and rural development in Lithuania, as well as on the problems and the potential of the rural sector. He also stressed the need to develop livestock farming, promote small and medium-sized farms, and make every effort to ensure that these farms benefit from the new mechanisms of EU support in the upcoming funding period of 2014–2020.         

The Danish Minister was interested in large pig farms. Members of the Seimas Committee observed that this was a rather social issue stemming from the attitudes of individual local communities.

The meeting also focussed on the reform of the EU’s common agricultural policy. Lithuania and Denmark have diverging positions on many issues; therefore, it was an excellent opportunity for an exchange of opinion. The representatives of both countries agreed that in future, the common agricultural policy should become more flexible, with a simpler management and more decisions falling within the competence of the Members States.

At the end of the meeting, Mr Pauža invited the Chairman of the Committee of the Folketing to the event on the common agricultural policy organised by the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs on 21–22 July 2013 in the framework of the Lithuanian Presidency.