Milk market tensions: the Minister of Agriculture posted about the government’s steps

In response to a producer’s question, the minister wrote: the government has negotiated with retail chains in order to give preference to Hungarian milk, they have introduced import registration for milk and dairy products to curb the influx of cheaper foreign goods, and they have launched a milk marketing campaign to encourage domestic consumption. In addition, all subsidies for farmers were paid in advance and in full, and the processing industry received a 50 billion forint preferential loan to finance the purchase of milk, and a loan moratorium also came into effect.

István Nagy emphasized that the current milk market disruptions are not exclusively Hungarian specificities, but are the result of European and global processes, and milk prices in several EU countries are lower than in Hungary. According to the Minister, no significant improvement is expected in the short term without restoring the balance between supply and demand.

The dairy sector remains one of the most vulnerable areas of domestic animal husbandry: producers are increasingly demanding a more predictable market environment and sustainable purchase prices, while maintaining operations has become the biggest challenge for many farms.