The agricultural chambers of the V4+ countries discussed the priorities of the Polish EU presidencyContinue reading
The agricultural chambers of the V4+ countries held a joint protest in Holíč (Holics, located in Slovakia near the Czech border), because they believe that the European Commission’s agreements are making European agricultural production and European farmers’ society impossible.
Zsolt Papp, president of the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (HCA), added that they organized a joint demonstration with the V4 countries, together with representatives of the Austrian Chamber, because they stood up for the common issues that make life more difficult for farmers. The demonstration was supported by the French, Spanish, Romanian, and Bulgarian farmers’ organizations.
The event took place on the Czech-Slovak border, where
hundreds of tractors were used by farmers, while at the same time there were demonstrations in four to five other places in the Czech Republic.
The president said the biggest problem was the vision for the future of agriculture put forward by the new European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen.
He underlined that the document is lacking in specifics: “we do not see the basis of the next common agricultural policy,” which creates uncertainty, and stressed that
it is our duty to stand up and protect the resources that are due not only to Hungarian farmers but also to European farmers.
The common ambition was that every farmer should get the support they deserve. They are not asking for a common fund that would abolish the autonomous support fund of the common agricultural policy and put all EU funds into a common hat, because that would certainly mean a withdrawal of resources, said the president of HCA. He said the issue of free trade agreements was a priority. The commission is applying double standards: how to cut back on animal farming in the future, how to farm greener, and with strict standards.
On the other hand, trade agreements are being concluded that do not create a level playing field and put Europe, including Hungarian farmers, at a competitive disadvantage. EU farmers comply with animal health and plant health standards, and make every effort to meet food safety standards to produce high-quality food.
Zsolt Papp, president of the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (HCA); Photo: MTI/Lakatos Péter
With the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, agricultural products from the region are expected to enter the EU common market that do not meet EU environmental and quality standards, while firms there benefit from lower energy and labor costs. The V4+ Chambers of Agriculture are therefore calling for safeguard mechanisms to be put in place to protect European farmers.
V4+ Chambers of Agriculture are ready to take joint action on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement and the threat of trade liberalization with Ukraine,
said Papp.
He indicated that the same difficult situation is created by Ukrainian imports, as the transitional measure of the Commission, which set a framework for goods from Ukraine, will expire on June 5. Compared to 2020, the volume of vegetable products imported from Ukraine has now increased 30 times, and the volume of processed products has also increased several times, which is “devastating the European market,” he said.
Ukraine’s accession to the EU could have serious, irreversible consequences, as it would make EU agricultural production impossible and deprive Member States, including Hungary, and Hungarian farmers of a significant share of EU agricultural subsidies.
He pointed out that Ukraine’s accession would also have a serious impact on the EU’s common agricultural policy, as Ukraine has 41 million hectares of arable land. Ukraine would add 41 million hectares to the 157 million hectares of European land currently eligible for support. So the stakes are not small: Ukraine’s accession would make it the biggest beneficiary of agricultural resources, pocketing about a third of the CAP’s total budget from the common fund, cutting into the income of EU farmers, including Hungarian farmers, who have been complying with strict EU rules for many years.
He also said that if no agreement could be reached with the European Commission and the farmers’ demands were not taken into account, the current demonstration would continue.
Via MTI; Featured image: Pexels