Brussels has turned its back on the pig farmers. Despite considerable pressure from member states, the European Commission is not willing to introduce extraordinary crisis management measures. With this, the EC puts the future of not only the domestic but also the entire European Union pig sector at risk.
The European Commission (EC) refused help from pig farmers. At the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on November 15, 18 EU member states, along with our country, requested that the committee propose the introduction of extraordinary crisis management measures due to the situation on the pork market. At the same time, Brussels is still unwilling to lend a helping hand to the sector struggling with a serious market crisis.
According to the EC, the forms of support that have already been used provide enough opportunities for pig farmers to survive the crisis. According to the position of the EU agricultural commissioner, the introduction of extraordinary market crisis management measures would only postpone the solution of the problem to a later date, so he warned against member states raising false expectations among pig farmers.
Scandalous Brussels' attitude to the European pork crisis. It has been proven once again that Hungarian pig farmers can only count on the government, István Nagy announced after the meeting of the EU agriculture ministers.
The head of the ministry called the situation untenable and expressed his incomprehension about the committee's attitude, since the rules of the common agricultural policy provide an opportunity to introduce extraordinary market measures, as happened in the case of the Russian embargo or the 2015 milk crisis.
He reminded that the Hungarian government has supported animal farmers with all possible means in the past period: the framework of this year's animal welfare subsidies was increased by HUF four billion, and pig farmers will soon be able to use loans with full interest and cost subsidies. Our agricultural crisis insurance system, which was launched for the first time in Europe, is now also available for pig farmers. In addition, fattening material arriving in Hungary from the EU internal market is subject to strict controls.
The background of the pork market crisis is overproduction caused by the discontinued Chinese market. African swine fever also appeared in Germany last year, and while previously Germany supplied the largest amount of pigs to the Chinese market, the Asian power immediately stopped shipments after the appearance of the swine disease. This resulted in twenty percent additional production in the community from one moment to the next.
According to István Horváth, president of the Association of Hungarian Pig Breeders and Pig Keepers, the current situation will only change if the number of pigs decreases.
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Photo: Magyar Nemzet/Árpád Kurucz
