The Annual Report 2006 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been published. "The most significant decision in the agriculture sector was the adoption of the Rural Development Programme for 2007-2013, which sets the foundation for the natural handicap payments, environmental support, business aid for rural areas and project funding for the next seven years", says Minister Juha Korkeaoja in the preface.

On major topic towards the end of the year was the publication of the recipients of agricultural support payments. The Government decided to amend the act on the registers so that the amounts of the payments can be published and the information will be more readily available than before. The Ministry stressed that, besides the amounts of support, we should also look at the profitability of farming. The purpose of the payments is to support the production operations.

Another major topic during the year was bioenergy. The Ministry appointed a working group to create the foundation for the support payments under the Rural Development Programme, while another working group will be assessing the production potential of bioenergy in the near future. The development prospects are good.

The third main topic of the year was wolf.
The management plan outlines the measures to be taken, but the Commission did not withdraw the legal action against Finland, as had been expected. Finland reached the sustainable conservation status of the wolf population set down in the management plan.

Further information at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Jouni Lind, State Secretary, tel. 358 (0)9 160 53323, 358 (0)50 521 3305