The Informal Meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers was hosted by Malta, on 23 May. Agriculture Ministers agreed that the effective co-operation between the water and agricultural sector is essential in order to manage effectively the negative impacts of climate change.
The Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, Sándor Fazekas reminded that the Common Agricultural Policy already contains numerous tools to reduce impacts of the climate change. The Minister said that during the discussion on the post-2020 CAP, it should not be ignored that EU farmers are considered as the most environmentally conscious producers in the world. Supporting climate and environment friendly agricultural practices - the so called “greening” - is a good and useful tool. However, some elements need to be coordinated in order to increase efficiency and improve their application. In designing the new CAP, it will be essential to find a balance between environmental sustainability and international competitiveness. Any further deepening of greening cannot contain elements that results simply in a decline of production and thus the decrease of farmers’ income.
Sándor Fazekas explained that the development of irrigation management could be a breakout for farmers, but the irrigation policy should be planned in accordance with the available water resources. Hungary's position is that the spread of water-efficient technologies in Europe can ensure that sustainable development goals are met. In addition, we can provide targeted answers to the challenges by using traditional non-genetically modified crops suitable for climatic conditions, such as the production of drought-tolerant crops and non-widely cultivated crops kept in gene banks. Sándor Fazekas informed ministers and the European Commission that the Hungarian Government encourages the development of drought monitoring and drought- warning systems to increase the safety of agricultural production.
According to the Minister, innovation is indispensable in agriculture, but the primarily industrial food production cannot be the only future alternative for EU farmers. Such innovative ideas should not be financed at the expense of the common values of the CAP, but only through the provision of additional EU funds.
Based on the aspects of climate change and sustainable development, greater role should be played at EU level in stimulating the production of agricultural raw materials and protein feed. In connection with the latter, the Minister of Agriculture said that the Hungarian Government considers essential to boost domestic soy production. In the medium and long term, we must abandon the practice of importing the bulk of the animal feed from third countries. Though this practice is currently economically profitable, it may lead to a serious dependence on uncertain external factors for the future - argued Sándor Fazekas.
He pointed out, that the aim of the Hungarian Government is that the two pillars of the CAP - complementing each other - ensure long-term development of domestic farmers and improve their competitiveness. To achieve any new objective, adequate additional resources from the EU's common budget should be provided.
During the informal meeting Sándor Fazekas had a bilateral meeting with Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. They discussed current agricultural issues, in particular the possible scenarios of the post-2020 CAP. The Hungarian Minister had the chance to exchange views on the same topics with the German, Austrian, Croatian and Irish agricultural ministers belonging to the European People's Party (EPP) and with the Polish President of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
