The non-governmental organization Busha, which deals with the preservation and protection of indigenous animal breeds, announced today that for more than three years they have been warning the Ministry of Agriculture about disastrous moves in the field of genetic resources.
That NGO has repeatedly sent a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Vladimir Joković, and asked for help in realizing the right to protect and preserve old breeds from their disappearance.
They point out that there are very few allocations for the preservation of autochthonous breeds, such as Zetska žuja sheep, bush cattle, Balkan goat, Balkan horse, domestic donkey and pig.
This NGO reminds that Croatia allocates 400 euros for the bush for adult heads and a premium for small heads, and Serbia and BiH over 300 euros.
"Montenegro, as a leader in the region and the closest member of the EU, has the smallest allocations for genetic resources, which is unacceptable. This has had a negative impact on the condition of many of these breeds, especially the Zeta sheep and Bush cows, which today have less than 100 individuals." they say from NGO Bush.
They remind that for the year 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture decided 150 euros for the premium per bushel cow, and 30 percent less was paid, i.e. 105 euros, and how much will be paid is unknown for now.
"We appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture to equalize the standards and premiums with Croatia, which is a member of the EU and plans an amount of 400 euros per bushel for the year 2025," announced the NGO Buša.
They remind that for three years they have been appealing for the bush premium to be increased to 400 euros in order to increase the number of individuals, otherwise there is a danger that the genetic material will be permanently lost.
The EU's recommendations are, as they state, that every individual whose number is below 400 individuals must be subsidized by the state.
"We propose that the Ministry of Agriculture budget 2025 euros for all mentioned genetic resources in the budget for 250," states the statement signed by the president of the NGO Buša Predrag Vujnović.
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