Hungary’s Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said on Tuesday that farmers’ outrage over the EU–Mercosur free trade agreement is fully justified, arguing that the deal was pushed through by the European People’s Party, to which Péter Magyar’s party belongs in Brussels.
In a video posted on his Facebook page, Minister Nagy stressed that farmer protests are spreading across Europe, as agricultural producers refuse to back down in the face of what he described as Brussels’ anti-farmer policies. After demonstrations in December, farmers staged another major protest on Tuesday.
According to the minister, several thousand farmers from across Europe traveled to Strasbourg with tractors to demonstrate in front of the European Parliament. He said the planned cuts to Common Agricultural Policy funding, the EU–Mercosur agreement, and the EU–Ukraine free trade deal together threaten to undermine European agriculture, make farming economically unviable, and endanger food security.
Minister Nagy called it outrageous that the European Commission continues to ignore what he described as farmers’ most important demands. He emphasized that farmers are right to protest and that the Hungarian government stands firmly behind them, adding that everyday food production must not become part of political power games.
He said Brussels had betrayed European farmers and warned that the agreement jeopardizes safe and reliable food supplies, an issue that affects not only producers but all European citizens.
Minister Nagy also criticized Péter Magyar, saying that after months of silence on agricultural issues, he had suddenly appeared in Strasbourg claiming to defend farmers’ interests. At the same time, he added, Magyar fails to mention that he sits in the very European People’s Party group that finalized the EU–Mercosur agreement.
Describing this stance as hypocritical, Minister Nagy said the Tisza Party helps keep in power a European Commission that disregards farmers’ interests and damages European agriculture. By contrast, he said, the Hungarian government consistently and firmly defends farmers, their competitiveness, and their markets.
The minister reaffirmed that Hungary rejects the EU–Mercosur agreement and is prepared to turn to the Court of Justice of the European Union if necessary. He concluded by saying that farmers can continue to count on the Hungarian government’s support.