On Wednesday, 30 June, at 08:15, seven agricultural associations representing nearly 10,000 farmers, forest owners and farms will submit their demand for dialogue to the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM) Artūrs Toms Plešs, requesting an apology from the minister and asking for an end to the division of Latvia's farmers.

Maira Dzelzkalēja-Burmistre, Vice-Chair of the board of the association "Zemnieku saeima": “Events in recent months have highlighted a very negative trend – instead of supporting Latvia's development and agriculture, which is a vital sector for the entire national economy, the minister and the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund (LVAF) he leads have begun spreading hate-inciting, one-sided, socially divisive and overtly false information about farmers working in Latvia. Our goal is to initiate a meaningful and constructive dialogue focused on the coexistence and development of all types of agricultural work, rather than setting them against each other. Naturally, we also hope for a respectful attitude, in which an apology to Latvia's farmers would be a matter of course and an action worthy of the minister's standing. Changes must certainly be made to the conditions for allocating LVAF funding so that scientific institutes, universities and industry representatives are also invited to contribute to the creation of media content.”

A number of organisations have joined forces in the prepared demand to the VARAM minister - "Zemnieku saeima", the "Latvian Forest Owners Association", the "Latvian Association of Agricultural Cooperatives", the "Latvian Young Farmers Club", the "Cooperation Council of Agricultural Organisations" and the "Farmers' Union", which together represent nearly 10,000 farmers and forest owners who manage approximately 70% of Latvia's agricultural and forest land.