The European Commission has extended its measures to assist fruit and vegetable producers

The European Commission has extended its extraordinary support for European fruit and vegetable producers who suffer due to the disadvantageous economic sanctions against Russia and has decided to secure another 70 million euros in the next one year – the European Commission said.

The measures were first introduced by the Commission in the wake of the Russian import ban in August 2014. The extended scheme is worth up to 70 million euros to EU fruit producers, and provides a safety net for producers who might not find a market outlet for their products as a result of the import ban. It will compensate European fruit farmers who choose for example to distribute their excess products to organisations (i.e. charity, schools) or make use of it for other purposes (i.e. animal feed, composting, processing). (MTI)