

20 farmers participated in information meetings on 11 and 12 April, organized by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) in Svilengrad and Topolovgrad. The purpose of the meetings was to present the new guide for sustainable management of grasslands. The meetings were attended by experts from the field inspections department at the Agriculture State Fund in Sofia.
Farmers had the opportunity to ask specific questions about the eligibility of the permanent crops they have applied for under different agri-environmental themes. The specific elements of the landscape present in the parcels such as shrubs, trees, rocks, roads and their admissibility in the inspections of control bodies were considered. Farmers asked questions about the fires that arise not from their fault and affect the declared plots. The issue of satellite images and their role in proving the eligibility of parcels has also been discussed as well as many other administrative issues concerning the admissibility of the areas claimed under area-based schemes and measures for the 2014-2020 period.
BSPB organizes meetings within the framework of the project “Restoration and sustainable management of Imperial Eagle’s foraging habitats in key Natura 2000 sites in Bulgaria (LIFE14 NAT/BG/001119)” under the LIFE Programme of the European Union.