Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic said that pig farming was at one time the most developed branch of agriculture in Serbia and that its recovery should be encouraged especially in the underdeveloped mountainous regions in south-east Serbia. He also said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection development programmes and cooperation with local self-governments could help agricultural producers in the devastated areas to set up small households and cooperatives which would in turn assist them in the placement of their products on the market.

Velimir Stanojevic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, informed the Subcommittee members that 350 thousand agricultural households in Serbia deal in pig farming, 25% of which produce 400 heads a year. He added that the high-quality breeds of Yorkshire and Landrace predominate and that about 6 million swine are slaughtered at a yearly basis. Despite the fact that the market is more open to livestock breeding, the country should work on establishing predictable production to satisfy the domestic market and boost export. Stanojevic also stressed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection has secured 10,000 RSD for the breeding of high-quality sows and boars per head, and 1000 RSD per fattened pig, as well as stimulation packages for the construction of new and adaptation of existing sties and the purchase of mechanisation.

Mirko Novakovic of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agrarian Policy Sector, said that the country is co-conducting a project with the Kingdom of Denmark to assess the quality of pigs and cattle and after classification would have accurate data on the matter. As an option for the development of rural areas in Serbia, Novakovic mentioned small producers’ venturing onto local markets, as well as big ones through cooperatives and associations with specific products such as Mangalitsa products and similar. He stressed that organic production as the biggest potential for rural areas should be a matter of special focus.

Prof. Dr Nebojsa Zlatkovic and Prof. Dr Branislav Pesic of the College of Agriculture and Food Technology in Prokuplje said that livestock breeding is good for rural areas in view of the age structure of the population and the animals’ high adaptability to the environment. They said that a subsidy action for unregistered pigs is underway, 5,000 RSD per head, and about 25-30% of pigs is expected to be registered in the coming period. They also pointed out the need to register mixed breeds and establish cooperatives in devastated areas.

Tijana Vukovic of the fair association “From Serbia” said that the association was founded to help small and middle-sized agricultural producers, calling attention to the need to educate small producers about breeding of pure breeds and product placement.

Following a debate, the Subcommittee Chairman proposed conclusions concerning the registry of mixed breeds especially in devastated areas, and securing subsidies for the breeding of pigs, turkeys and poultry in underdeveloped areas by the relevant ministry.

The sitting was chaired by Subcommittee Chairman Milija Miletic, and attended by Subcommittee members Dalibor Radicevic and Zarko Bogatinovic.