This appeal to Nausėda was signed by the public institution Baltic Environment Forum, the Dainava Nature Fund, the nature conservation association Baltic Wolf, the Environmental Policy Centre, the public institution For a Clean Lithuania, the charity and support fund Let's Save the Baltic, the Lithuanian Entomological Society, nature photographer and author Marius Čepulis, and musician Giedrius Širka.
The appeal to the country’s leader emphasises that the Ministry of Agriculture is one of the most important state institutions, whose decisions determine the country’s food security, agricultural competitiveness, rural development, the preservation of biodiversity, climate change mitigation, the quality of water resources, the protection of the Baltic Sea, and the fulfilment of Lithuania’s international obligations.
„Therefore, this ministry must be led by a person capable of ensuring a balance between economic, social, and environmental interests and making decisions in the public interest,“ state environmental organisations.
Susiję straipsniai
They noted that as Lithuania assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Minister of Agriculture will play a key role in shaping European Union agricultural policy, leading negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, and seeking compromises among member states.
Environmental organisations doubt whether Mažeika would be a minister who cares about biodiversity and climate change.
„Kęstutis Mažeika’s public statements and past political activities raise reasonable doubts as to whether the candidate sufficiently values the importance of biodiversity, climate change, and environmental protection in shaping modern agricultural policy. While serving as minister of the environment of the Republic of Lithuania, he initiated or supported decisions that drew significant criticism from scientists, protected area specialists, environmental organisations, and the public.
Among these were the attempt to grant fishing exemptions in the Žuvintas Nature Reserve—which is subject to the strictest protection regime—and the decision to halt the expansion of the Punios Šilas Nature Reserve, even though its purpose was to ensure stricter protection of one of Lithuania’s most valuable old-growth forests, and the candidate’s support for an initiative to legalise bow hunting, which was opposed by scientists, veterinary specialists, and animal welfare organisations. When evaluating these decisions as a whole, a political direction becomes apparent in which the interests of nature conservation were given less priority than the expansion of natural resource use,“ the letter to Nausėda states.
Representatives of environmental organisations also recalled that during a March meeting of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs, while discussing the priorities of Lithuania’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the field of agriculture, Mažeika stated that a significant portion of the Strategic Plan’s funds is allocated to environmental protection measures, which, in his view, do not constitute investments in agricultural production.
„However, organic farming, ecological systems, agri-environmental measures, soil protection, and support for areas with natural constraints are an integral part of the Common Agricultural Policy. These measures are designed not only to achieve environmental objectives but also to ensure the long-term competitiveness of agriculture, preserve soil fertility, improve water quality, and mitigate the effects of climate change,“ the environmental organisations emphasise.
Representatives of these organisations also pointed out that the publicly stated priorities of the nominee for Minister of Agriculture raise additional questions.
„Kęstutis Mažeika has repeatedly emphasised the development of the grain sector. At the same time, in public statements, he has acknowledged that Lithuania produces significantly more grain than it consumes, and a large portion of it is exported as raw material due to an underdeveloped processing sector. This indeed highlights one of the most important challenges facing Lithuanian agriculture. Nevertheless, the state’s long-term agricultural policy should not be limited to strengthening the grain sector alone.
To achieve greater economic value, greater resilience to market fluctuations, and greater food security, it is essential to simultaneously strengthen livestock farming, fruit growing, vegetable farming, pasture-based farming, and other sectors that generate higher added value. This approach also contributes to the preservation of biodiversity and the protection of water resources and the Baltic Sea,“ environmental organisations state.
In their appeal, summarising the comments presented to Mažeika, the organisations ask Nausėda not to appoint this politician as minister of agriculture.
Mažeika met with President Nausėda on Wednesday. After the meeting, the President’s chief advisor, Ramūnas Dilba, stated that the ministerial candidate has experience in the agricultural sector but lacks concrete proposals for practically addressing various issues in the field.