Hungarian farmers’ association: Ukraine’s EU accession would be catastrophic
Ukraine’s accession to the European Union would be a “catastrophe” for European farmers, especially for ones in neighbouring countries, István Jakab, the head of Hungarian farmers association Magosz, said on public radio on Wednesday.
Magosz said that Ukraine’s 41 million hectares of farmland and enormous food industry plants would spell the ruin of Europe’s farm and food sector. He added that most of Ukraine’s biggest farms were foreign-owned, by Americans, Arabs, Germans, Norwegians or Chinese, and it was in the fundamental interest of those investors for the country to join the EU.
He said the use in Ukraine of pesticides and herbicides long outlawed in the EU, the country’s unrestricted use of yield boosters and antibiotics, and its GMO farm products put EU farmers at a severe disadvantage.
Agriculture Minister István Nagy warned that Ukraine’s European Union accession could result in “unforeseeable and irreversible” consequences in a post on social media on Wednesday.Nagy said that Ukraine’s accession would bring “drastic changes” to Europe’s farm sector, while reducing farm subsidies. “Farmers’ livelihoods cannot be put at risk; the government will defend their interests,” he added. Nagy said European farmers could not compete with Ukraine’s huge farms, backed by Western capital and with no obligation to comply with EU agricultural rules.
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