Gornja Radgona - Agra, Slovenia's largest agriculture fair, opened on Saturday with appeals to the state to help farmers adjust to climate change.

President Borut Pahor said that the climate crisis was a fact, noting that "everyone must accept the latest findings by experts from around the globe" who warned in the latest International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report
that the situation is worse than previously believed.

"The atmosphere is warming faster and by 2030 warming will have exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius. Just to remind you, this is a figure that we previously believed would not be exceeded by 2050," the president said in his keynote address.

Pahor said it was a fact that adjustment would be needed, but that this was feasible. He expects Slovenian climate change experts to provide clear recommendations to farmers.

According to him, state aid should be primarily channelled towards climate change adaptation and farmers may not be left to fend for themselves. "The state has an obligation to stand by them and provide aid."

French Ambassador to Slovenia Florence Ferrari - France is he guest country at this year's fair - noted that Slovenia and France shared similar views on European agriculture policy issues, including climate change. She said more resilient systems would have to be developed.

Adaptation to climate change will be the topic of one of the expert debates at the fair.