The farmers occupied both sides of the road leading to the border crossing point.Continue reading
The agricultural organizations of six countries, including the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK), are against the European Union’s agricultural policy, NAK said in a statement on Tuesday after an extended summit of the Visegrád Group (V4) nations’ chamber of agriculture.
The organizations call on the decision-makers in Brussels not to destroy European agriculture and to stop undermining European farmers. In order to stop the dumping of imports from Ukraine, the agricultural chambers of the V4 countries are planning a joint demonstration on February 22 at the Slovak-Polish-Czech border.
The summit in Otrebusy, near Warsaw on Monday and Tuesday was attended by representatives of the Polish National Council of Agricultural Chambers, the Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber, the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture, the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Latvian Agricultural Organization Cooperation Council, and was also attended by Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture.
The statement pointed out that EU farmers are facing difficulties due to rising production costs and the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine. They are looking to the EU institutions for support, not for hardship, they added.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture spoke at the summit about
the need to increase the crisis fund under the Common Agricultural Policy, including from other sources.
This could be more effective in critical market situations, he said.
“The facilitation of trade and exports of Ukrainian goods, which the European Commission is working on, should not have negative consequences for certain sectors and agricultural markets in the EU. Mechanisms are needed to effectively protect EU member states’ markets, especially those of frontline countries,” the statement reads.
They remarked that
farmers, who are constantly protesting in Europe, are demanding concrete and workable solutions from Brussels for the agricultural sector.
Farmers are highlighting challenges related to climate change, farm competitiveness, incomes, administrative burdens, and generational renewal.
NAK underlined that agriculture plays a crucial role in food security and that the position of agriculture in the EU needs to be strengthened. All necessary measures must be taken to ensure that further enlargement of the EU does not lead to a reduction in the profitability of agricultural production, depopulation of rural areas, and abandonment of agricultural activities in the Member States.
Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Balázs Attila
