Minister of Agriculture Dr. Sándor Fazekas took part in the Forum, and in his speech said that ideas according to which artificial meats or insects produced in laboratory conditions will be afforded a major role in future food production are unacceptable. The participants of the 10th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) represented 75% of the world's population.

“Sustainability, Responsibility, Efficiency". In the spirit of these keywords, the world’s agriculture ministers begun their meeting on the future of animal husbandry today, traditionally convened every January during the Berlin International Green Week agriculture and food industry expo.

In his speech, Mr. Fazekas condemned the production of genetically modified foodstuffs and stood by the Hungarian standpoint, which strictly prohibits the public cultivation of GMO crops. Hungary's long-term goal is to also produce animal products using GMO-free feeds, and accordingly the Ministry recently developed a National Protein Program to boost the production of domestic protein crops. The European Soy Declaration, which was originally adopted by 14 EU Member States on a Hungarian-German-Austrian initiative, and which was joined by four non-EU countries yesterday, is also aimed at replacing GMO soy imported from overseas.

At the meeting, Dr. Fazekas said that livestock farming is the most hazardous sector in agriculture, characterised by high risk due to high expenditure, various animal diseases, and epidemics, and market fluctuations. This is why the Minister regards the fact that farmers should receive at least the same amount of funding within the framework of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during the next programming period as an issue of key importance. The consumption of meat has increasing at a global level, and the Minister regards as solutions the reduction of the enormous amount of food wastage in developed countries and the widest possible dissemination of precision farming based on digital technologies.

The ministerial conference in Berlin ended with the adoption of a statement in which the signing ministers emphasise that they are doing their utmost to facilitate the sustainable development of the livestock sector.

(Ministry of Agriculture Press Office)