PS and Arrivo/Açores ask Government to pay 23 million farmers

PS e Arrivo/Azores ask the Government of the Republic to pay the extraordinary support of EUR 23 million (ME) to farmers to cope with the burdens caused by the war in Ukraine, considering that “they do not live on promises”.

In a statement released today, the PS/Azores accuses the Government of the Republic and the regional coalition executive PSD/CDS-PP/PPM of “having deceived Azorean farmers in relation to the payment of the EUR 23 million to which they were entitled”.

Socialist MEP Patricia Miranda, quoted in the note, considers it “deployable that this amount has not been properly paid” and that “the governments of AD have deceived farmers all this time”.

He said that in the last elections to the Assembly of the Republic in 2024, “Luís Montenegro and José Manuel Bolieiro campaigned in the Azores to promise the payment of these 23 million euros to Azorean farmers”.

Patrícia Miranda said that the Regional Government has “lack of firmness” in defending the interests of Azorean agriculture with the Republic, pointing out that the 23 million euros “have been assumed for Azorean farmers, are in the form of law in the State Budget on the initiative of the Socialist Party” and “have to be paid”.

“The answer given by [Agriculture] Minister this week on this matter could have been given months ago, but both the Government of the Republic and the Regional Government preferred to deceive all farmers in the Azores,” said Patricia Miranda, quoted in the note.

According to RTP/Azores, during the discussion of the State Budget in the specialty, the Minister of Agriculture said that the European Commission’s authorisation to pay support to farmers because of the war in Ukraine “deceased in 2024.”.

The Aquida/Azores, also in a statement, released on Saturday, said that after the Socialist Government of António Costa announced extraordinary support to farmers to cope with the burdens caused by the war in Ukraine, “it was known that Azorean farmers would be outside this measure”.

“ It was then that the Social Democrat Louis Montenegro ensured that Azorean farmers would receive part of the support announced. It is true that support has never reached the pockets of Azorean farmers and now the Minister of Agriculture says it is not possible to transfer this money,” he added.

The party “strongly criticizes” the position of Minister José Manuel Fernandes, recalling that the money “was entered in the State Budget of 2026, contrary to the minister who states that the support expired in 2024 and therefore cannot be paid”.

“It is absolutely unacceptable. We are talking about EUR 23 million that were entered in the State Budget, approved in the Assembly of the Republic and intended to compensate Azorean farmers for the enormous costs they had to bear. Now, does the minister come to say that he won't pay? So, what's the point of approving a state budget if then the government decides not to comply with what is written there?", he asks.

According to Pacheco, Azorean farmers “do not live on promises, do not pay rations with speeches and do not buy fertilizers with political justifications, have bills to pay, workers to support and farms to maintain”.

“ This EUR 23 million is neither an offer nor a favor from the Government of the Republic. They are support that has been provided and that Azorean farmers expect to receive,” he concluded.