Triin Tomingas, head of foreign financing at the ministry's State Budget Department, said Friday that under the European Commission's current proposal for the 2028–34 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), or EU budget, Estonia would receive about €6.5 billion, including roughly €2 billion for agriculture and food production.

"A total of €2 billion has been proposed for agriculture, and that's where the sector and the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture need to continue their dialogue on how to set priorities within that amount," Tomingas said on Vikerraadio.

That money, she added, will be divided between food security, innovation, competitiveness and supply chain resilience.

The latest MFF proposal would also give member states more flexibility in how they use the funds, which will be allocated in two stages — with 75 percent distributed initially and decisions on the remaining funds to follow in 2031 and 2034.

A separate €546 million allocation for Estonia is intended to help close income and competitiveness gaps in agriculture, Tomingas noted, and while some spending targets for climate, social programs and agriculture would remain, Brussels will no longer not dictate how support money allocated to a specific country is spent.

"With the rest, including that €546 million, the government is free to decide which sore spots it wants to address with the funding, and which areas to support and with how much," the ministry official said.

Of the €546 million, three quarters, or €393 million, must be allocated now, after administrative costs are deducted from the initial amount; the rest can be allocated later, she added.

Officials pledge full amount

Asked whether the Finance Ministry had earmarked any of the money for other purposes, as claimed by the Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce (EPKK), Tomingas said it had not.

"We have not redirected it elsewhere," she said. The government's preliminary proposal, she explained, sets aside €2.12 billion for the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, including €2 billion for agriculture, food production, rural areas and fisheries.

The EPKK threatened Tuesday to bring farmers and tractors to Tallinn over claims that the Ministry of Finance had proposed allocating €295 million to agriculture and food production instead of the €546 million in the EU proposal.

The protest has reportedly been postponed, as farmer representatives are due to meet with Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) next week.

On August 18, Michal confirmed to TV3 news that the full €546 million would go to agriculture and food production, not anywhere else.

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