Istvan Nagy: Brussels’ Mercosur Deal Is Another Attack on European Farmers and Agriculture

European and Hungarian farmers are once again under attack from Brussels, Hungary's Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy warned. According to the minister, the EU–Mercosur agreement, the free trade pact with Ukraine, and planned cuts to agricultural subsidies pose a serious threat to food security and rural jobs.

“The Brussels Mercosur agreement is yet another assault on European farmers and agriculture,” Nagy wrote in a social media post. “The deal is harmful to European farmers because it would allow cheap, loosely regulated South American agricultural products onto the EU market, while European producers are required to operate under strict environmental, animal welfare, and food safety standards and at significantly higher costs. This puts them at a competitive disadvantage. Purchase prices will fall, rural jobs will be endangered, and dependence on imports will increase,”Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy posted.

Istvan Nagy, Hungary's Agriculture Minister (Source: Facebook)

Brussels continues to disregard farmers and the future of European agriculture. Hungary’s position is clear. We reject any agreement that threatens the competitiveness of Hungarian farmers,” he said. “The EU–Mercosur deal, Brussels’ free trade pact with Ukraine, and cuts to EU agricultural subsidies amount to nothing less than the execution of European agriculture,

he stressed.

“Our daily bread must not become part of political games,” the agriculture minister concluded. “We stand with farmers, because we cannot risk their livelihoods or Europe’s food security. There is no alternative but to continue the fight, because our food self-sufficiency and sovereignty must be preserved. On this, we cannot compromise.”

Cover photo: Istvan Nagy, Hungary's Minister of Agriculture (Source: Facebook)