NGO Buša: By what criteria does the state choose which indigenous breeds deserve support?

The non-governmental organization Buša announced today that the key issue remains open - based on what criteria it is decided which breeds receive support, warning about the inconsistency of state measures, the omission of the Balkan goat from the Eco-Fund program worth 175.000 euros, as well as serious issues of transparency, criteria and the functioning of the system for distributing subsidies intended for the preservation of indigenous breeds.

One of the most important questions, as they state, is why the Balkan goat is not included in the Eco-Fund program, even though it was recognized in the Agro-Budget for 2025.

They remind that the Agrobudget for 2025 provides financial support for breeding Balkan goats as an indigenous breed, through a measure worth around 100.000 euros and with an incentive of 15 euros per head.

"However, this breed is not included in the Eco-Fund's public call," say the NGO "Buša", adding that the Eco-Fund has allocated 175.000 euros for the preservation of endangered breeds and biodiversity, but the Balkan goat, as well as the domestic donkey, are not among the acceptable categories.

The NGO says that this mismatch between two state support mechanisms raises a fundamental question of the consistency of public policies: how is it possible for one institution to recognize and fund a certain race, while another, through a financially significant program, does not include that same race.

According to available information, they add, the criteria for the Eco-Fund's public call were defined by an expert commission, chaired by Božidarka Marković, a professor at the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Montenegro, a member of the Senate and former dean of that institution. Last month, the NGO "Buša" filed a criminal complaint against her, claiming that she abused her official position as the president of the commission for the allocation of funds from the Agrobudget for 2024, which relate to measures for the preservation of indigenous genetic resources in agriculture. The complaint was filed with the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, and it also includes the members of the commission.

NGO Buša states that, according to information received from project participants, they are aware of the claims of project participants that during the development of the program, the Balkan goat was omitted without a publicly available explanation.

"We believe that it is in the public interest that the criteria be presented clearly," said Predrag Vujnović, president of the NGO Buša.

In the publicly available documentation, as stated, no explanation for this decision was found, nor an analysis that would explain why certain breeds were included and others were not.

The NGO Buša warns that the omission of the Balkan goat from this program has direct consequences for farms that breed it, because they are not given access to this form of support.

The non-governmental organization Buša believes that this decision requires additional and clear clarifications from the competent institutions.