Brussels must act now to protect European farmers

(Photo: drnagyistvan.hu)

The minister reminded that since the suspension of import duties, quotas and trade protection measures for Ukrainian exports to the European Union last June, the farmers of the frontline countries have been suffering significant losses. Therefore, the Minister of Agriculture of Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia wrote a letter to Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice President of the European Commission, EU Commissioner for Trade and Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, in which they presented to Brussels the changes in the dynamics of the export of Ukrainian products to the European Union and the market loss of their countries. in terms of cereals and oil crops. István Nagy pointed out that in recent years, in addition to the challenges caused by high production costs, increased price and income risks, and unfavorable climatic conditions, the increased export from Ukraine has been causing more and more serious concern for farmers. The main reason for this is that Ukrainian agricultural products, which are cheaper due to different production standards and farm sizes, are pushing them out of their traditional export markets. This, together with the changes brought by the new EU policies, represents a serious burden on agricultural production, he added. He explained that the five border countries are among the six EU member states that can produce significantly more wheat and corn than they need, so the contribution of our farmers to European food security and the strategic autonomy of the EU is essential. That is why Brussels must introduce measures that protect the markets of the member states bordering Ukraine, while at the same time providing them with the opportunity to exploit their export potential. One such possibility could be the introduction of customs duties for the most sensitive agricultural product, István Nagy pointed out.

The head of the ministry also mentioned that the common position of the five countries is to achieve that Ukrainian agricultural exports cannot negatively influence the European agricultural market

Therefore, Brussels must also ensure that we consistently enforce EU agricultural standards for all products offered to European consumers. We call on the committee to report on how Ukraine’s production standards meet EU agricultural production standards. The minister stated that the interests of Hungarian farmers will be protected by all means against Ukrainian dumped goods and agricultural products of often dubious quality.

AM