Hungary is building GMO-free agriculture

(Photo: AM/Csaba Pelsőczy)

István Nagy recalled that in July the European Commission made public the draft legislation related to new gene therapy techniques and the related impact study. The minister explained: climate change, the consequence of climate change is the appearance of new pathogens and pests against which there is still no suitable active ingredient. According to one point of view, protection should be solved with chemicals and chemical methods, while according to the other, biological tools and genetic technology should be used.

István Nagy drew attention to the third option

He put it this way: it is necessary to reach back to the treasures of the Hungarian gene bank, to select those varieties that can be suitable even in the face of such challenges. The minister called the creation of the 3rd National Biodiversity Strategy until 2030 a major achievement of the year. The purpose of the strategy is to deal with the problems arising in connection with the preservation of biological diversity, taking national characteristics into account and in line with international and European Union obligations. Biological diversity greatly contributes to improving the quality of life, preserving health, and protecting the national natural heritage, while it is also indispensable for economic activities based on natural resources, he emphasized. Speaking about nature conservation investments, the Minister of Agriculture said, among other things: since 2010, 465 projects have been implemented, the total value of which exceeded HUF 90 billion, and through them the condition of habitats on more than 300,000 hectares has been improved and the infrastructural development of nature conservation management has been ensured. István Nagy emphasized that the proposal to strengthen the protection of agricultural land has already been submitted to the Parliament. According to this, three times more will have to be paid for agricultural land taken for industrial purposes than before, he explained. He added that they want to encourage investors to implement brownfield developments.

The minister also mentioned that the role of forests and national parks has increased in value

He said: during the coronavirus epidemic, people understood how important it is to protect them, and the drought on a historic scale made people realize that there is a need to respond to the changes in nature and the climate, which were mostly caused by humanity. István Nagy reminded, among other things, that the largest afforestation program in the country was launched based on the government’s decision. At the same time, he emphasized that all nature conservation interventions and programs are successful if they find participants and partners.

MTI