Protection for Hungarian food not be compromised, says agriculture minister

Budapest, January 26 (MTI) – The level of protection for high-quality Hungarian food must not be lowered, Sandor Fazekas, the agriculture minister, said in Brussels on Monday.

Fazekas had talks with Phil Hogan, EU commissioner for farming, focusing on topical issues such as the Russian embargo, the common agriculture policy, as well as the US-EU free trade agreement, said a statement from the Hungarian agriculture ministry.

Concerning the free-trade agreement, Fazekas voiced support for new European rules facilitating GMO-free farming, as well as efforts to maintain protection for original products. “The level of production must not be lowered; no trade agreement can overwrite EU rules, such as the ones governing GMOs”, he said.

On the subject of making the common agricultural policy simpler, Fazekas said the government was committed to reducing the burden on Hungarian farmers. He added that coordinating production and environmental sustainability was another priority.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters