The Council of Cooperation between Agricultural Organizations (LOSP), responding to an appeal by the Latvian Farmers’ Federation (LZF) and other members, will call on the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to convene a crisis management group to declare a state of emergency in the flood-affected areas of Vidzeme and Latgale, the organization reports.
A letter to the Ministry requesting a crisis management group meeting for declaring a state of emergency in the flooded territories will be sent by LOSP in the coming days.
The Council emphasizes that several rural areas are flooded, destroying planned harvests.
“There is currently a crisis situation in the areas affected by flooding, and farmers need support to be able to continue their work and save the crops that have not yet been destroyed,” says Guntis Gūtmanis, LOSP Board Chairman.
He also highlights that farmers are doing everything they can to recover from the floods as quickly as possible, but government involvement is essential to resolving the situation.
Gūtmanis stresses that the meeting is needed to address issues related to insurance, provision of support, and the resolution of other processes tied to existing agricultural loans, planned tasks, and obligations to institutions—ensuring proper documentation, reporting, and clarifications.
Furthermore, according to him, the meeting is necessary to allow institutions to provide timely support to farmers in crisis.
“A few days ago, we looked at the changing weather with caution but with hope that it would improve. However, a number of Latvian farmers have now been hit by significant flooding. It’s like a natural disaster verdict on their crops and all the work they’ve done. Unfortunately, there will be no harvest in these areas,” Gūtmanis emphasizes.
LOSP board member and LZF Chair Agita Hauka points out that in such crisis situations, it is important to assess the flood damage to each farm individually. This ensures that critical support reaches those who need it most, enabling their survival.
The Council urges farmers to send photos and videos to the Rural Support Service documenting flood damage, so the information can be registered promptly, losses assessed, and statistics compiled.
LOSP is an association uniting more than 50 nationwide producers’ and processors’ non-governmental organizations, covering all regions of Latvia and all production sectors. The organization forms a unified farmers’ position to defend producers’ interests in negotiations with public authorities and other cooperation partners.