NAK: the year begins with difficult conditions in agriculture

The head of the organization explained that in the extreme cold, in addition to preparations for spring work, the most important task is to put animals in safety. However, the good news is that the grape cicada does not survive this temperature, so the unusual weather can be good for agriculture. The situation of dairy farmers and pig farmers is now also complicated by the loss of the EU market, as EU exports have fallen, causing an oversupply on the internal market. In this situation, it is particularly important to provide them with sales opportunities that will mean survival – he emphasized. Referring to the demonstration in Brussels, Zsolt Papp highlighted that the withdrawal of almost 10 thousand producers showed the unity of the European farming community. In his opinion, it is unacceptable that the food industry is left out of the common agricultural policy (CAP), that investment and development resources are taken away, and that the subsidies granted to farmers are tied to age conditions. An uncompetitive agriculture would not be able to keep up with challengers outside the EU, while Brussels is also worsening the chances of producers in the Member States with administrative burdens and production rules that do not apply to external suppliers, he said.

The President of the NAK sees water security as an urgent challenge in 2026, which – he emphasized – means not only irrigation, but also water retention

The creation of the conditions began last year, and the necessary cooperation and legislation have been established. This year, infrastructure developments must continue, and irrigation water must be made available free of charge. Meanwhile, producers must also keep up with technological developments, as digitalization and the use of precision processes are now just as much a condition for competitiveness as cooperation in procurement or sales.

At the event, the president of the Association of Hungarian Farmers’ Associations and Cooperatives (Magosz) also addressed the Brussels negotiations and possible changes to the CAP

According to István Jakab, European farmers everywhere feel that there are serious problems with the EU’s agricultural policy, but decision-makers do not always seem to see this. For example, he objected that EU regulations do not apply to Ukrainian or South American suppliers, and – he added – food produced under different circumstances cannot be made to compete on the same field. He also advocated for the maintenance of the two-pillar agricultural support system, i.e. one that also includes development funds, emphasizing that competitive agriculture and European food sovereignty are not only important for farmers, but are in the interest of all consumers living here.

MTI