NAK President: Agriculture faces harsh attack from Brussels

According to Zsolt Papp, the leaked EU plans could represent a turning point in the future of agriculture, as they would put the processing industry at risk, endanger consumers, and allow products of dubious origin to be placed on families’ tables. The impossibility through subsidies could affect everyone, from the smallest farmers to the largest producers, as Brussels is preparing to merge and remove agricultural subsidies, divert them into other funds, and obstruct access to resources with opaque rule of law procedures – he said.

The NAK president also objects to the significant reduction in the area unit with which farmers could receive support

The funds, he added, are indispensable in agriculture, their lack would lead to a loss of competitiveness and efficiency, increased vulnerability, and non-EU states would gain access to opportunities that are already threatening the markets of the Hungarian farming community. The planned measures could cause an extremely difficult situation, or even mean the end of Hungarian agriculture, he stressed. Zsolt Papp called the support of the Hungarian government particularly important in such circumstances, and in his opinion, the 80 percent budgetary co-financing of EU funds ensures the possibility of environmentally conscious, sustainable development while maintaining efficiency and competitiveness. At the same time, he considers the transformation of the EU funding cycle after 2027, the reduction of area-based support and its transfer to an income-based approach, to be a serious threat. He added: the EU is leaving agriculture out of joint work and thinking, and its proposals do not take into account the observations, good practices and experiences of producers in the member states. The latest package of proposals clearly shows that the opinion of farmers does not matter in Brussels, where only the withdrawal of resources and the merging of funds are the main criteria. For this reason, the Hungarian farmers’ representation is planning a demonstration in Brussels on Wednesday with agricultural organizations from other states, and they will also protest against the new Brussels proposals at the European Commission’s Hungarian representation – the NAK president announced.

NAK