The Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia audited efficiency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (hereinafter referred to as: Ministry) in adapting agriculture to climate change in the period from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2022. The Court of Audit established that the Ministry was partially efficient.
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in weather patterns caused by natural processes and anthropogenic factors. Consequences of climate change are among others raising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and more frequent extreme weather conditions, such as drought, heavy rainfall, hail storms and wind, frost and similar. Considering climate change impacts, agriculture is one of the most sensitive sectors due to outdoor agricultural production, it is thus necessary that the Republic of Slovenia starts with systematic adaptation to climate change.
The Court of Audit established that in the period covered by the audit the Ministry failed to treat adaptation of agriculture to climate change as priority. Within the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020, the Ministry provided for the implementation of measures that contribute towards adaptation of agriculture to climate change, namely setting up irrigation systems, greenhouses and modernisation of stables, purchase of protection equipment against frost, hail nets and introducing more resilient plant varieties. The Ministry also financed research and transfer of knowledge via public agricultural advisory service. Nevertheless, the measures respectively adaptation of agriculture to climate change were not planned on the basis of the strategy and the Ministry did not establish which factors of the changing climate affect or may most significantly affect the agricultural vulnerability. Therefore, adaptation of agriculture to climate change was not fully and systematically planned and harmonised, as was the case in the past. This increases the possibility that the implementation of the adaptation shall be merely a response to crises and catastrophes, thus the costs shall be higher than they would otherwise be.
The Court of Audit proposed to the Ministry several recommendations, and also demanded the submission of a response report.
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