MEP Gyöngyösi on nature restoration law: I can’t support that – VIDEO
Sponsored content
It is an important goal to save nature and it is good that the issue has already been put on the agenda of the decision-makers, said Hungarian MEP Márton Gyöngyösi (Non-attachedI) on the plenary session of the European Parliament.
Yet, when our societies are facing economic problems, there is a war going on in Ukraine and food prices are skyrocketing, it is not a wise decision to put more burden on people, especially on the agricultural sector, the Hungarian politician added. According to Gyöngyösi the nature restoration law, which has already caused heated debates among European politicians, could just further increase food prices or even lead to shortages. “Therefore I cannot support the nature restoration law” stressed the MEP.
Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.
Wizz Air receives Sustainability Award
Wizz Air won the title of Most Sustainable Low Cost Airline for the third time at the World Finance Sustainability Awards 2023.
The panel praised Wizz Air’s sustainability achievements and its commitment to reduce its carbon intensity by a further 25 percent by the end of the decade, the company told our portal.
World Finance also acknowledged the airline’s continued investment in the latest technologies, fleet renewal, fuel efficiency initiatives, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) collaborations, including the airline’s R&D investments, including partnerships between WIZZ and Airbus on hydrogen-powered aircraft.
Now in its fifth year, the World Finance Sustainability Awards recognise companies that put sustainability and green solutions at the heart of their operations. The award categories cover thirty industry segments.
Wizz Air has achieved its lowest ever carbon intensity of 53.8 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre in the 2023 financial year – a 6 percent reduction compared to pre-covid.
To achieve this, the airline has invested heavily in its fleet and continues to replace its fleet with new Airbus A321neo aircraft, which offer significant environmental benefits in terms of noise reduction and fuel savings, and can now fly with up to 50 percent SAF blends. The share of the new “neo” technology Airbus A320 family aircraft in Wizz Air’s fleet has now exceeded 50 percent, the statement recalls. (We wrote about the delivery of the new aircraft HERE.)
In April this year, Wizz Air announced its first equity investment in a biofuels company, Firefly Green Fuels, to support the development of SAF in the UK, and in May, as part of Indigo Partners, invested in US-based start-up Clean Joule SAF.
Wizz Air takes delivery of aircraft manufactured in China
Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and most sustainable (1) airline, is the first European airline to take delivery of an Airbus A321neo aircraft manufactured in China. The new addition to the fleet, built in Tianjin, will be welcomed by Wizz Air four years after the first of its kind was taken delivery of.
The incoming aircraft will be the 92nd Airbus A321neo owned by WIZZ, bringing the proportion of “neo” technology models in the airline’s international fleet to more than 50 percent (2). Wizz Air also has the largest order for Airbus A321neo in Europe and plans to acquire a further 355 aircraft by the end of the decade under the “WIZZ500 ambition”.
The Airbus A321neo is the most efficient narrow-body aircraft currently on the market, with 239 seats in a single-class layout. Equipped with a Pratt and Whitney GTF engine, the model delivers the lowest fuel consumption per passenger, enabling Wizz Air to achieve the lowest carbon footprint of any major European airline (3) while reducing costs.
The aircraft type also offers significant environmental benefits: noise emissions are reduced by almost 50 percent, fuel consumption by 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent compared to the previous type (4). The transport flight from China to Europe will be operated in the coming days with a 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend.
The new Airbus A321neo aircraft will be financed through a lease agreement between Wizz Air and its financing partner AVIC.
“The Airbus A321neo is the most efficient single-aisle aircraft currently in service, which is why we chose it. As well as providing exceptional operational economics, it also provides us with a foundation to maintain our position as one of the world’s most sustainable airlines. This helps us to continue to reduce our carbon intensity per passenger as we grow. Today is an important milestone, as the Airbus A321neo will make up more than 50% of our fleet for the first time. It is fitting that we celebrate this occasion by becoming the first European customer to take delivery of an aircraft from Airbus’ final assembly line in Tianjin. I would like to thank the Airbus and AVIC teams for making this possible. We look forward to continuing to work with them as Wizz Air continues to grow towards becoming a 500-aircraft airline by the end of the decade,” said Váradi József, CEO of Wizz Air.
“It is a great pleasure to celebrate with Wizz Air the delivery of the Pratt and Whitney GTF-powered A321neo aircraft, which arrives straight from the Airbus final assembly line in Tianjin. We are truly delighted to contribute to the airline’s growth through our partnership,” said AVIC Leasing.
(1) Based on CAPA – Centre for Aviation Awards 2022
(2) The new aircraft will bring Wizz Air’s total fleet to 183 aircraft, of which 87 are A321neo aircraft.
(3) Based on the latest publicly published emissions data for a 12-month period (Ryanair, EasyJet). Due to differences between reporting periods, the figures and timeframe do not fully match.
(4) Based on a comparison of the Airbus A320neo and Airbus A320ceo families.
Wizz Air and other airlines face serious allegations of deceiving customers
Airlines are accused of greenwashing by consumer organisations from 18 countries. They have jointly complained about what they say are misleading and false claims that people are being misled into believing that flying can be made greener. Among others, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air and Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, also popular in Hungary, have been faced with the allegations.
BEUC (the European Consumer Organisation) and 22 member associations from 18 countries are lodging a complaint with the European Commission and the national network of consumer protection authorities (CPC) against misleading climate claims made by 17 European airlines, napi.hu reports.
Wizz Air also investigated
The following 17 airlines have been investigated and are being called on to end the misleading practice: Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Volotea, Vueling, Wizz Air.
They are calling for a Europe-wide investigation into the issue and for the airlines concerned, and the industry as a whole, to stop making claims that give consumers the impression that aviation is sustainable.
“This is simply not true, as aviation is not sustainable and will not be in the foreseeable future,”
BEUC said.
Even if you pay a ‘green fare’, aviation will not be sustainable
Where airlines have suggested to consumers to pay extra “green” charges based on such misleading claims, consumer protection authorities should require airlines to reimburse consumers.
“Whether you pay a ‘green fare’ or not, your flight will still emit climate-harmful gases. Technological solutions to decarbonise aviation won’t become a massive-scale reality any time soon, so depicting flying as a sustainable mode of transport is pure greenwashing. At a time when many want to travel more sustainably, airlines should urgently stop offering consumers a fake peace of mind,” cityam.com quotes Ursula Pachl, the BEUC’s deputy director general, as saying.
Flight between Cluj-Napoca and Budapest cancelled
As we reported earlier today, the Romanian airline AirConnect has cancelled its flight between Cluj-Napoca and the Hungarian capital. Read details HERE.
New rules coming to the shores and beaches of Lake Balaton
According to the Minister of State for Architecture of the Ministry of Construction and Transport, Regő Lánszki, the new regulation is aimed at preserving the values of the “Hungarian sea”, Lake Balaton.
The draft law on Hungarian architecture focuses on saving value, according to Regő Lánszki. “We have defined the protection of our green areas, our environment and the protection of our existing building values, where we give priority to local culture. If you look at the construction economics part of the law, we are also giving an advantage to local construction companies,” Infostart quoted Mr Lánszki as saying.
He also stressed that this is particularly true for Lake Balaton. In the Balaton uplands, a special protected area will be defined. A new feature is the creation of a separate office of chief architect.
The role of local and district architects will also be strengthened. “You will not be able to build anything in the future just by following the rules. The role of local chief architects, related planning councils and the municipality will be very important,” he added.
The national chief architect also said that the waterfront regulation plan and the urban development plan for the area will be prepared. Among other things, this will:
- prohibit beaches currently owned by the state or the municipality from being rezoned so that they can only remain in the beach zone or be reclassified as green areas;
- include the provision of a public promenade of at least 5 metre width on at least 30 percent of the waterfront, and the removal of the beach for the purpose of creating green space only;
- include a concession in areas where the waterfront is privately owned: if someone gives up a 20-metre strip for public use, they will be entitled to a larger development on their own land if they agree with the municipality.
Mr Lánszki also talked about the future of the investments that have already been made or started.
“Anything that is not done according to the rules in force is open to review. However, where there is, the developer has the right to build and operate the property for which he has applied for a permit,” he said.
The draft law will be presented to Parliament in early summer or in the autumn at the latest, Infostart concludes.
Significant change coming for all in the Hungarian property market
Significant discounts can be expected when applying for green loans on the market with a view to energy saving when buying a property, the financial intermediary of Duna House has pointed out, based on a summary by Credipass.
According to their statement, the possibility to apply for green loans under the Funding for Growth Scheme (FGS) ended a year ago. However, some banks continue to offer green loans on favourable terms on the market. The statement pointed out that Hungary still has a large number of properties with poor energy rating, making the greening of the housing stock increasingly urgent.
“When looking for a property, it is becoming increasingly important for interested parties to know the energy characteristics of the property in question, and how much of an investment a major renovation would represent,”
the statement clears.
They also point out that, as of April this year, market green loans are now also available in the form of Certified Consumer-Friendly Housing Loans. With the extension of the loan objectives, this type of loan can be applied not only for the construction of new housing, but also for the modernisation of second-hand property.
The green credit target must be verified by an energy certificate, the cost of which is covered by the bank, for example in the case of a consumer-friendly loan. The bank must check that the green credit targets have been met within 12 months, either by an on-site inspection or by requesting invoices for the work carried out.
It is also important to note that if the debtor fails to meet the green credit target set in the individual contract within the deadline set by the lending bank, the bank may retroactively enforce the disbursement fee, the cost of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the additional fees and costs related to the green credit target, Duna House summarised, as reported by MTI.
Major announcement from one of Hungary’s largest retail chains
Last spring, the German retail chain Lidl launched its used cooking oil collection initiative.Customers can safely and free of charge drop off used cooking oil and fat in collection bins at its stores. Over the past year, the company has steadily increased the number of its stores with collection points. Currently, 120 stores offer separate collection.
Lidl Hungary states in a public notice that the frying oil and fat used is extremely harmful and can be dangerous for the environment. When poured down the drain, it damages the sewage system, makes wastewater treatment more difficult, pollutes our aquifers when released into the environment, and is a persistent substance when disposed of in municipal waste.
However, if treated properly, it is 100 percent recyclable. Thus, it is very important that it is collected and disposed of selectively at designated collection sites. Lidl Hungary is also helping with the collection. The retail chain already provides containers for customers at 120 of its stores. The service has been well received, with almost 30 tonnes of used cooking oil and used grease deposited in the bins since its launch.
Promoting responsible waste management and the circular economy is a key priority for the supermarket chain.
“As part of our REset Plastic strategy, we are also working towards, among other things, making 100 percent of our own-brand packaging fully recyclable by 2025. We also consider it important to support our customers in the selective waste collection, and by providing free and safe collection of used cooking oil, currently available at 120 of our stores, we want to contribute to promoting more sustainable waste management,”
said Judit Tőzsér, the company’s Communications Manager.
The bins are located near the entrances of Lidl stores in prominent locations. They can be used to deposit used cooking oil and fat, butter, margarine and expired cooking oil. The drop-off is very simple: all you have to do is drop the cooled oil or fat in the plastic bottle into the opening of the container. The quality of separation is very important for recyclability, so care must be taken to ensure that other materials such as motor oil, lubricating oil, other liquids or waste do not end up in the container. These are not allowed. A list of Lidl stores with collection islands is available on the retail chain’s website.
Budapest mayor: 2024 draft budget would ‘bleed Budapest out’ further
Next year’s draft budget would “bleed Budapest out” even further, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Government support for the city would come to HUF 34.5 billion (EUR 9.4bn), up from 33 billion this year, meaning that the real value of the funding would decrease, he said.
At the same time, the solidarity tax imposed on the city would increase from HUF 58 billion to 75 billion, he said.
“This year, the city funded the government with HUF 25 billion; next year, that funding would be over 40 billion,” he said.
That money could ensure the city’s operation for 82 days, he noted.
Meanwhile, the draft budget would also cut funding for “activities and services in localities and communities” by one-fifth, “exposing the lie” that the solidarity tax levelled at cities would help support smaller localities, he said. Environmental protection, social services and railways would also suffer, making the budget “not just anti-Budapest but an anti-municipality one”, he said.
Karácsony called on Budapest residents to give their opinions in an ongoing online survey on the city’s affairs.
“The extraordinary situation warrants extraordinary measures: we will take the government to court. We will prove not only that the anti-Budapest policy is harmful for the country but also that it is unlawful,” he said.
Houses, hotels will be built at Lake Fertő?
Green LMP will put questions to Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár about a hotel and leisure site construction project at Lake Fertő, a protected area in north-western Hungary, a board member of the party said on Saturday.
Mária Szendefy told an online press conference that the planned project was terminated last summer “due to the economic crisis and burdens put on the central budget by the war in Ukraine”. “We learnt with shock later that the government office of Győr-Moson-Sopron County has issued afterwards a permit for the construction of an even larger investment that includes more apartment houses and hotels” than originally planned, she said. The lake is situated in the Fertő-Hanság National Park, one of the largest habitats of birds in the Carpathian Basin, where large swamps and reed hinders bathing or sailing, Szendefy said.
LMP considers the planned investment unnecessary, harmful to the environment and a waste of taxpayers’ money, she said. The party wants to know from the minister whether the termination of the project is still in effect, what state resources are available for it and whether he will not consider it his personal responsibility “to save one of Hungary’s largest wetlands from the barbaric concrete lobby”.
MEP Gyöngyösi: In defence of motoring
Sponsored content
MEP Márton Gyöngyösi’s (Non-attached) thoughts via press release:
All of us were taught at school that the rise of the Western world, with Europe in it, was largely due to the concurrent presence of such key conditions for progress as individual rights, including the right to freedom of movement, freedom of research and openness to development.
Of course, if you try to draw the balance of the two centuries that have passed since the beginning of the industrial revolution, you will see a lot of problems: environment pollution is certainly a grave issue and it is our common interest to reduce it. On the other hand, we have the positive impacts of technological progress, such as the healthier living environment (if you doubt it, just move in a cob house with no utilities), the triumph over dozens of once fatal diseases, and the major growth of life expectancy.
In today’s Europe, even those living in relative hardship still enjoy a lot more safety and welfare than a hundred and fifty years ago.
However, the spread of the benefits and the western lifestyle causes more and more people to forget what the world would be like without these technological achievements. The European Union has several political forces that rely on an idealized and non-existent state of nature to make people feel guilty for wanting to enjoy the fruits of their labour, live in comfortable conditions or even for daring to commute to work.
Posing as progressives and greens in their naive idealism, the “lifestyle leftist” politicians use the sublime principles of nature conservation to deny the achievements of technological advancement and, perhaps unknowingly, attack the freedom and equality of European people.
By setting their sights on the easy target of automobiles, demanding to impose excessive congestion charges and mindlessly banning cars from cities and even internal combustion engines in general, they would throw society back to where we left off 200 years ago. There would be the privileged city dwellers who would live close to the highest-paying jobs and form a new aristocracy, while others who create a home for themselves in the country and a bit farther from the centre would simply be pushed to the periphery.
I am convinced that mobility and motoring are not only environmental but economic and cultural issues as well.
The upcoming years will see a fierce struggle unfolding between those who are ready to restrict the most fundamental human rights on the grounds of nature conservation and those who would rather follow a balanced approach by striving for sensible and realistic solutions while still taking the downsides of technological progress into account.
As a centre-right conservative politician, I believe those who aim to make the technological conditions of car usage more expensive and less accessible are actually working against people’s freedom.
Banning petrol and diesel engines instead of improving them would reduce personal mobility to the privilege of a small elite, thus turning millions of Europeans into second-class citizens. We must not let that happen.
Responsible political forces always strive for balance and harmonious development. I wish to follow this prudent path. That’s the reason why I oppose the political restrictions of technological development, and stand for people’s right to freely choose when and how they want to change their location. The automobile is still the most universal device ever invented for such purpose.
Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.
- Also interesting – MEP Gyöngyösi: Time to focus on Sudan
Revolutionary Google innovation available in Hungary!
Google is extending its flood warning platform to Hungary, among 60 countries. This was reported by the company’s press office on Tuesday, 23 May.
According to the announcement, Google has long been working to use artificial intelligence to tackle the climate crisis. As part of the effort, it is expanding its flood prediction capabilities to 80 countries, Index reports.
The service will expand to 60 new countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South and Central America, including Hungary.
Governments, aid agencies and individuals in these regions can now access critical information up to seven days in advance, which is 48 hours earlier than last year. Thanks to Flood Hub, they can prepare for floods and adapt to changing conditions.
The interface displays forecasts of floods in an area of 460 million people, showing when and where they will occur, according to the statement, MTI reports.
There are serious problems with battery makers in Hungary
Battery makers should be made to operate in compliance with strict environmental protection rules, a green lawmaker said on Thursday, noting that LMP submitted three related proposals to parliament, but the legislative committee withheld them from the agenda as governing MPs voted them down.
LMP proposed fining plants in breach of their obligations in proportion to the company’s profits and companies that fail to comply with environmental protection rules should pay back the multi-billion state aid, László Lóránt Keresztes, chairman of the parliament’s sustainable development committee, told an online press briefing. Further, LMP also wanted battery plants to regularly monitor air, water and noise pollution and publish the results.
He said local people should also have a say in whether giga factories should be built or not, adding that the government had sided with foreign investors by rejecting LMP’s proposals.
New Budapest district will look stunning – PHOTO
Budafoki Road in Disctric 11 in Budapest and its surroundings will be redeveloped in the next phase of BudaPart. The project was voted the world’s best neighbourhood development in 2022. Now, the developer shared a visual plan on how the district will look when it is complete – and it’s mesmerising.
The 11th district in Budapest is being renewed
Budafoki Road and its surroundings will be renovated in the next phase of BudaPart. The project of the developer, Property Market, will include a number of utility and transport infrastructure improvements in several phases. This will make the public spaces of the capital’s 11th district more orderly and modern, Szeretlek Magyarország reports.
The next phase of the works on Budafoki Road will start on 15 May. During the construction works, the developer will build utilities, roadworks, safe cycle lanes, traffic lights and greenery on Budafoki út between Dombóvári Street and Hauszmann Alajos Street. It will also start the greening of Budafoki Road.
Traffic restrictions to be expected during the works
During the reconstruction works, which start on 15 May 2023 and are expected to be completed on 17 August 2023, traffic will be subject to scheduled and periodic, non-full-cross-section traffic diversions, lane closures, speed restrictions and changes to pedestrian traffic on the section between Budafoki Road, Dombóvári Street and Hauszmann Alajos Street.
Road traffic will be uninterrupted, but the works will lead to increased travel times. The investor asks for the patience of road users in order to deliver a modern and long-lasting infrastructure, Szeretlek Magyarország writes.
Here’s what to expect from BudaPart
BudaPart, next to the Kopaszi Dam, is the world’s best neighbourhood development. The “15-minute city” concept is already well established, offering downtown features. However, the next phases of the development will further expand the opportunities for residents, workers and leisure visitors.
BudaPart will include a kindergarten, restaurants and retail units, and from mid-summer a four-star hotel, while the green and park area will be further expanded. The regenerated section will also include safe cycle and bus lanes, and the greening of Budafoki Road will begin, with more than 50 trees added by the end of the project.
Hungary will see record heat this summer, but the worst is yet to come
Since measurements began in 1901, 2022 was the hottest year in Hungary. And it does not stop here, unfortunately. A strong El Niño is expected this year. El Niño is a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather worldwide. El Niño could lead to a hotter-than-normal summer already this year. However, the bomb is expected to explode in 2024 – and it will not spare Hungary.
El Niño is bringing drought and extreme heat to the globe – and Hungary
Parts of the world will experience a brutal drought. Europe, and Hungary in it, will be hit by heat and stifling humidity. The average temperature of the Earth could rise by well over 1.5 degrees Celsius, 24.hu warns. A “hot summer” is no longer just about sweating more than usual for a few days or weeks. In Hungary, too, heat waves now regularly exceed the level that is healthy for the human body. In fact, the heat is indirectly causing the premature deaths of thousands of people.
And if we look at the statistics, the number of heatwaves is increasing, while summers are also getting hotter overall. For example, 2022 was the hottest in Hungary since records began in 1901.
2023 will be exceptionally hot – but 2024 will be even hotter
Kiderül.hu meteorologist László Molnár also expects an extremely hot summer and believes that 2024 will be even hotter. According to Mr Molnár, The year 2024 could be 1.5-1.7 degrees Celsius warmer than average. The previous record was 1.35 degrees Celsius in 2016.
Europe is expected to have warmer than average temperatures and more wet and humid weather. The summer will end with a stormy August, followed by a mild autumn and a much wetter than usual winter. The same is true for Hungary as well: a humid, hot, stormy summer, followed by a mild, rainy winter with up to 20 percent more rainfall than usual.
In conclusion, László Molnár underlines that we are at the gateway to a historic event. El Niño is expected to be officially “born” within a month, and it will be fast-rising as we start from a higher global baseline temperature.
Scandalous: Birds of prey are slaughtered without end in Hungary
Many thousands of animals have died a painful death due to illegal, deliberate poisoning in Hungary. The reported cases represent only a fraction of all such crimes. The Criminal Code (Büntető törvénykönyv, Btk. in Hungary) allows imprisonment from one to five years in such cases. However, the most severe punishment so far has been a suspended prison sentence and a fine.
No murderer gets their due punishment in Hungary
More often than not, those who deliberately poison birds of prey in Hungary do not get their due punishment. In mid-April, the staff of the Kiskunság National Park Directorate (Kiskunsági Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság, KNPI) found the carcasses of ten protected birds (common buzzards and Western marsh harriers). The cause of their death was poison in chicken meat. The damage to nature is incalculable, 24.hu writes.
All such and similar acts are criminal offences under the law if the damage to nature conservation exceeds HUF 200,000 (EUR 528.50). According to ornithologist Zoltán Orbán, spokesman of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület, MME), since 2005, there have been 2,482 cases of poisoning of birds and mammals, including 288 eagles under special protection: 128 Imperial Eagles, 156 White-tailed Eagles, 3 Golden Eagles and 1 Lesser spotted Eagle. The conservation damage is approaching HUF half a billion (EUR 1.34 million).
This is just the tip of the iceberg
Even though the MME and KNPI both use poison and cadaver dog units, the above figures are still just the tip of the iceberg, 24.hu reminds us. How many there may be in reality, we cannot even estimate. And if we add to this the deaths of unprotected birds and mammals, from magpies to foxes, dogs and cats, we are talking about many thousands more animals who have died in agony.
The HUF billions in conservation damage is only indicative. For example, the conservation value of an eagle is HUF one million (EUR 2689). Provided that someone kills two birds, they are caught, convicted and ordered to pay HUF two million. Still, the two birds are no more, they no longer breed and the species is one step closer to extinction.
First of its kind: Hungarian organic beer has been developed
The Elixbeer Consortium, led by Körös-Maros Biofarm Ltd., has developed a Hungarian organic beer product family from alternative cereals. This achievement was the result of six years of research. The company used almost HUF 400 million (EUR 1.07 million) of EU funding, said Zoltán Várhelyi, project manager of Körös-Maros Biofarm Ltd.
The aim: developing organic beer and malt beverates
The aim was to develop organic beers and malt beverages with improved palatability using indigenously bred cereals, Index informs. To this end, the two research institutes (the Agricultural Institute of the Agricultural Research Centre and the Szeged-based Grain Research Ltd.) carried out grain breeding with a focus on the usability in the beer industry. The cultivation technology of the bred grain was optimised on about 100 hectares of Biofarm’s arable land, Mr Várhelyi said.
The total cost of the development was HUF 496.5 million (EUR 1.33 million).
State variety recognition, several types of beverages
Mr Várhelyi said that as a result of the project, several bred cereal varieties have received state variety recognition. Furthermore, a range of 9 types of beer and non-alcoholic malt beverages, all of organic quality, has been produced. The beers are based on malts made from organic barley, wheat and alternative grains. In addition to the organic lager ‘base beer’, there is also a buckwheat beer made from pure gluten-free ingredients, a non-alcoholic beer with a fruity flavour and a high antioxidant content.
To confirm the quality of the products, an online organic food certification system has been developed, making it easy to trace the entire production chain from farm to table, Mr Várhelyi noted.
Less beer is being produced
Mr Várhelyi told MTI that ecological grains can be grown with lower yields, typically 2-3 tons per hectare. In the peak year, about 200,000 0.33 liter bottles of beer were produced from them. Due to drought, increased energy costs and the loss of outlets forced to close by the coronavirus epidemic, less beer is now being produced.
Körös-Maros Biofarm is one of the largest organic dairy farms in Hungary. It was founded as a family business in 1990. They farm about 1070 hectares of integrated ecological area and have 700 milking cows and 800 young animals on their cattle farm. In addition to livestock farming, they also grow organic grain.
The hunter who shot the Swiss wolf in Hungary may get a brutal sentence
Authorities have not yet identified the perpetrator. But the hunter can expect a particularly harsh sentence due to the public outcry.
The wolf wandered hundreds of kilometres from Switzerland to Hungary last year before it was shot near Hidasnémeti by a Hungarian hunter. The animal’s collar was taken down and found by the authorities, who are still searching for the carcass. János Nagy, a secretary of the prime minister’s office and a close co-worker of PM Orbán, reckons that the perpetrator should receive a prison sentence as an example to others.
According to index.hu, authorities launched an investigation into the case after the wolf’s GPS collar was found near Hidasnémeti, in the Hernád River. The wolf wandered more than 1,900 kilometres from Switzerland to Hungary. That was the longest journey ever recorded by a wolf in Europe.
Killed wolf sparks public outcry
The animal passed the cities of Innsbruck, Vienna and Budapest until it reached the Northern Hungarian village close to the Slovakian border. There a hunter shot down the wolf even though the species are protected in Hungary. Based on media reports, the perpetrator destroyed the GPS collar before throwing it into the nearby stream. However, the tracker remained functional.
János Nagy, a secretary of PM Orbán’s office, said that the prosecutors should ask for a prison sentence for the amateur hunter who committed the illegal act. He added that what happened was flagrant environmental damage.
Here is Nagy’s post:
Attila Földvári, the spokesman of the Hungarian hunters’ chamber also condemned the crime. He highlighted that protected predators must not be killed. Mr Földvári said that all hunters’ reputations have been stained now due to this single incident.
Read also:
Green opposition: Govt has failed to meet pledges on wind turbines
The government has so far failed to deliver on the pledges it made in connection with wind turbines as part of its efforts to access EU recovery funding, the deputy group leader of green opposition LMP said on Monday.
The government pledged to abolish by March 31 “the absurd restrictions” on the installation of wind turbines, Antal Csardi told a press conference. It also pledged to conduct a broad public consultation on the matter and to launch “a transparent and comprehensive dialogue” with local governments by the deadline, he said.
“LMP last week sought the opportunity for consultation and draft legislation on changing the regulation on wind turbines in a lot of places, but could not find them,” said Csárdi.
“The government insists on using Russian fossil energy which is however not cheap, and will not be so, and it is, in addition, dangerous.”
“We know there is a disagreement within [ruling] Fidesz about wind turbines and that the prime minister is one of those opposing them. And although he seemed to join the camp of supporters with the EU funds in mind, still nothing has happened,” Csárdi said, adding that parliament’s Fidesz majority had voted down every proposal LMP had submitted in the past on permitting the use of wind turbines.
“We will, however, not allow the issue to be removed from parliament’s agenda and will keep submitting our proposal … until the government has no other option but to fulfill its own commitments,” Csárdi said.
Read also: