The Minister of Agriculture Helir-Valdor Seeder replied to the interpellation concerning the use of fuel marked with a fiscal marker (No 205), submitted by Members of the Riigikogu Aivar Riisalu, Enn Eesmaa, Ester Tuiksoo, Mailis Reps, Tarmo Tamm, Valeri Korb, Viktor Vassiljev and Yana Toom on 23 October. 

According to Seeder’s explanations, during the preparation of the coming year’s state budget, negotiations had been held with the Ministry of Finance, and the Government had also discussed replacing the system of diesel fuel marked with a fiscal marker used in agriculture by a compensatory support scheme. For various reasons, they had reached a decision that it would not be expedient to implement the new system in 2013. To Seeder’s knowledge, all representation organisations of farmers are of the same opinion. He pointed out the positions on the basis of which, for every person engaged in agriculture who has been entered in the register of the Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board, a limit of the amount of fuel would be established based on the number of hectares entitled to aid in the processing of the area aid application last year and the number of livestock units calculated on the basis of animals who have been entered in the register of farm animals as at an agreed date. Within this amount, an agricultural producer can buy diesel fuel at a lowered excise duty rate. Seeder noted that they had given information on the course and possible results of the negotiations to representatives of agricultural producers at several sittings of the Council for Agricultural and Rural Development. In Seeder’s words, a common conclusion has been reached there that it is expedient to continue with the current system. “With continuation of the current system, producers can enjoy the advantage that the use of the fuel with lower excise duty charges is not limited. This means that if a production process is more fuel-consuming, for example repeated ridging of vegetables, then the opportunity to buy fuel at a favourable price is guaranteed to the extent of the whole work,” the Minister of Agriculture underlined. At the same time, Seeder noted that a solution is being actively sought in cooperation with the relevant instances to this problem which is important for farmers. 

Two Bills were excluded from the agenda for the working week: the first reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Health Care Services Organisation Act (277 SE), initiated by the Social Democratic Party Faction, and the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Planning Act (247 SE), initiated by the Government. 

During the open microphone, Kadri Simson and Mihhail Stalnuhhin took the floor. 

The Riigikogu Press Service

 

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