We stand up for Hungarian farmers

The plenary session of the European Parliament (EP) today adopted its position on the highly controversial and divisive nature restoration regulation by a small majority. Commenting on the vote, Fidesz MEP Edina Tóth stressed: “We say no to the ill-considered, unrealistic, and unenforceable EP draft imposed by the Left, as it endangers farmers’ livelihoods and food production, and it also increases food prices.”

The MEP pointed out that the European Parliament’s proposal goes far beyond the position of the Council representing Member State governments, and will have a disastrous impact on European agriculture and farmers, as it could reduce food production in Europe by up to 30 per cent. “The obvious consequences of radically reduced production would be higher food prices by orders of magnitude and a growing dependence on third countries”, she added.

The Fidesz MEP called it extremely unfortunate that Brussels had so far refused to propose a financial fund that would provide real compensation for farmers. “According to the European Commission’s impact assessment, the implementation of the proposal in Hungary would amount to HUF 50 billion per year. This huge burden would fall overwhelmingly on Hungarian farmers, which is unacceptable. Instead of threats and backroom deals behind closed doors, the Commission must return to public, substantive dialogue and consultation”, she concluded.