From the journalist’s Berlin notebook

“After Hungary’s accession to the EU we needed three years to accommodate. We learned our lesson and are ready to compete.” (József Gráf, minister of agriculture and rural development) • “Everyone I talked to praised the high level of the Hungarian exhibition. More than 4,500 spectators celebrated our opening ceremony.” (Márta Némethy, Messe Berlin’s representative in Hungary) • “Mr. Sonnleitner, you have been criticising the dominance of food retailers for years, without any results. It is time for you to resign.” (The editor of an Austrian agricultural trade magazine to Gerd Sonnleitner) • “I find it odd that an Austrian journalist urges the president of a German organisation to resign. We have to cope with the open market, however hard it is now for milk producers. We have to cooperate with political decision-makers.” (Gerd Sonnleitner’s answer) • “The image of Austrian dairy products is strong in Eastern Europe. Austrian ham and sausage are not very different from Hungarian or German products.” (Dr. Stephan Mikinovic, managing director of Agrarmarkt Austria)