The amount of domestic game meat sold and intended for own consumption in 2024/25 was 13 thousand tons

(Photo: AM/Tibor Vermes)

István Nagy said that out of the total revenue of the Hungarian game management sector of 40 billion forints, game meat accounted for eight billion forints. He noted that ten years ago the revenue from the sale of shot game was only 3 billion forints. The Minister emphasized that a large amount of merchandise is generated annually from the hunted game, 20 percent of which is sold domestically, the greater part, about ten thousand tons – as raw materials or processed products – is sold on foreign, primarily German, Austrian and Italian markets.

Game meat has excellent nutritional values, contains high-quality proteins and valuable vitamins and mineral salts

It is free from antibiotics, drugs, residues of hormone treatments, and fits perfectly into a modern, health- and environmentally conscious diet – István Nagy drew attention, indicating that the annual average of Hungarian game meat consumption is 0.1-0.3 kilograms per capita, and in terms of consumption habits, wild boar is extremely popular, followed by roe deer, pheasant, wild rabbit, venison and wild duck. The minister emphasized that the regulation of game populations goes far beyond hunting, because it also “pays attention to the natural habitat of game, to sustainability”. He believed that another important pillar of the conservation of game populations is forestry, since game must be provided with a suitable habitat.

István Nagy indicated that the latest tender of the Ministry of Agriculture supports the long-term qualitative renewal and protection of forests

The aim of the support, which was released with a budget of 10 billion forints, is to help domestic forests adapt to climate change. He added that support applications can now be submitted, and the application opportunity is open until the end of September. László Jámbor, president of the National Hungarian Hunting Chamber, emphasized that the 22 state-owned forestry enterprises operate in excellent hunting areas, and in recent years they have done everything they can to meet high expectations. With their trained professionals and outstanding hunting infrastructures, they have become the flagships of Hungarian game management. Zsolt György Papp, President of the National Chamber of Agriculture and Trade (NAK), expressed his joy that the NAK and the hunting chamber have been able to work together in peace for many years: by joining forces in common matters, they can serve the gastronomic needs of people and help achieve climate protection goals, because this is the basis for the future. Krisztián Molnár, President of the Fejér County Assembly, said that one of the goals of the event is to popularize game dishes, since the Hungarian game population is world-class, despite this, Hungarians consume very little game meat. The other goal is for people to learn about the life of hunters, because “hunting is not about killing animals, but about protecting nature,” he added. Gábor Majoros, CEO of Vadex Zrt., said that the forest cover of Fejér County lags behind the national average, so they consider planting new forests to be their primary task. This year, about 32 hectares of forest were planted, and a total of 110 thousand seedlings were planted. Vadex Mezőföldi Erdő- és Vadgazdálkódasi Zrt. organized its first game gastronomy festival in 2007, which has now become the largest celebration of domestic game gastronomy. This year, nearly 300 chefs will compete in the cooking competition, and five thousand visitors will taste the game dishes.

AM/MTI