The non-governmental organization Buša assessed that the new Agrobudget for 2026 confirms everything they have been warning about for months - that the system for preserving indigenous genetic resources in Montenegro lacks a clear strategy, nor measures that can yield real results on the ground.
Of particular concern, as they state, is the attitude towards the most endangered breeds, primarily the Bush cattle and the Zeta sheep, whose survival directly depends on concrete and properly targeted state support.
"While the Ministry of Agriculture allocates 50.000 euros for the purchase of breeding lambs of the Zeta breed for 2026, at the same time the premium per head of this breed is being reduced from 50 euros in 2024 to only 30 euros in 2026," the NGO Buša said in a statement.
As they add, the key question is raised - how does the state plan to increase the number of heads of a critically endangered breed if it simultaneously reduces direct support to farmers who currently preserve and maintain that breed.
NGO Buša believes that this kind of policy points to serious shortcomings in the approach to preserving indigenous breeds in Montenegro.
"The results of such a system are already visible - the number of animals is stagnating or declining, while significant funds have been allocated for years without any visible effect," they warned. They recall that their NGO had previously warned about the way funds were distributed through the genetic resources conservation program, including a case from 2024 when, out of a fund of around 60.000 euros, as much as 23.000 euros was allocated to one farm, while around 10.000 euros were allocated for program management.
As a result, they claim, almost half of the total budget ended up at two addresses, while the remaining farmers received symbolic amounts.
"We expect the Ministry of Agriculture, headed by Minister Vladimir Joković, to finally review the current concept of measures and the way expert committees work in the field of genetic resource conservation," points out Predrag Vujnović, president of the NGO Buša.
He believes that the new Agrobudget shows that the problems previously pointed out have not been fundamentally resolved.
The breeder is trying to preserve the breed
When it comes to the Zeta river, NGO Buša points out that the problem is much more serious than the budget amount itself.
"According to information from the field, among the rare registered breeders of this breed with a larger parent herd in Montenegro is Mr. Turković's farm, which does not sell breeding animals precisely in order to preserve the breed from extinction," they said.
In such a situation, they add, the question arises as to how the planned 50.000 euros for the purchase of breeding lambs will be realized at all, bearing in mind that there are currently almost no lambs of this breed in circulation and available for sale.
NGO Buša believes that a much more rational and efficient solution would be to increase direct premiums for breeding Zeta sheep from the current 30 to at least 100 euros per ewe, with an additional 50 euros for each lamb left for further breeding.
In this way, they say, with an investment significantly less than the planned 50.000 euros, it would be possible to preserve the entire parent herd and create conditions for the number of heads to exceed 200 individuals next year, which would give the breed its first real chance to recover and spread to other farms.
"Additionally, the criterion requiring a minimum of 20 heads for a farm to be eligible for support for this breed is also of concern. We believe that such a requirement is completely contrary to the logic of preserving critically endangered breeds," they pointed out.
They say that if the goal is to protect genetic resources, then every head of livestock should be subject to protection, and not that farmers with smaller numbers of animals should be excluded from the support system.
"Such an approach can have direct negative consequences, as farmers who are not covered by premiums are left with no incentive to keep the breed in breeding," they said.
The premium of 150 euros for Bush is one of the lowest in the region
The NGO Buša points out that the treatment of the Buša cattle is also of particular concern. The premium of 150 euros per head, as they say, represents one of the lowest levels of support in the region for the preservation of this indigenous breed and shows that Montenegro still does not have a serious policy for the protection of its own genetic resources.
"We cannot talk about European standards and chapters on biodiversity protection, while allocations for indigenous breeds are many times lower than in countries in the region that are not members of the European Union," they said.
They emphasize that they support the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Eco-Fund to finally open the issue of preserving indigenous breeds through more serious funding programs.
"We believe it is particularly important that the Eco-Fund has shown its willingness to support the protection of genetic resources and the preservation of biodiversity in Montenegro through significant financial resources, because such programs are of great importance for domestic agriculture and the future of indigenous breeds," they stated.
However, as they add, precisely because of the importance of this initiative, they believe it is necessary for the measures to be based on clear, consistent and publicly available criteria, so that their full effect is real and fair support for farmers on the ground.
"We regret that an important and well-conceived initiative in this case has raised additional questions regarding the way funds are distributed and the position of some breeders of indigenous breeds," they said.
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