Because of the sanctioned energy prices, farmers need extraordinary EU support

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At the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on December 12, the majority of the EU agriculture ministers asked the European Commission to activate the 450 million euro agricultural reserve created at the EU level to deal with agricultural crisis situations. At the meeting, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy, representing Hungary, emphasized that the increased energy prices due to the war and the sanctions introduced in response to it increased the production costs of food to such a level that even the gradually rising producer prices cannot offset it. The root cause of the emerging crisis is completely independent of agriculture, so we cannot expect farmers to handle the situation on their own without help. Therefore, further extraordinary EU support is needed as soon as possible in order to ensure that farmers can continue to guarantee food security – the minister emphasized. The head of the ministry is confident that after today’s debate, the European Commission will listen to the request of the majority of the member states, and will propose the activation of the agricultural reserve in the first months of next year, so that farmers operating in sectors in trouble can get help as soon as possible.

A.M