“The poultry sector has suffered and survived many crises, but it may be facing difficulties again as EU agricultural subsidies are expected to decrease from 2021, making preparations necessary in this respect”, Minister of State Sándor Farkas from the Ministry of Agriculture said at the Goose Breeders’ Conference held at the 20th Kiskunfélegyháza Goose Festival.

Mr. Farkas added: “As a result of the bird flu, the past few years in the poultry sector have been particularly difficult, and there are no guarantees that such an epidemic will never reappear”, but as he explained: he has no fears for the poultry sector, which is meeting demand in all markets of the world, and the government has created a secure foundation for the proper functioning of this sector.

The Minister of State said the reduction in EU agricultural subsidies is expected to be around 10-12 percent, but added that negotiations on the subject have not yet been finalised.

In reply to a question from Hungarian news agency MTI, Mr. Farkas said that the poultry sector is beginning to recover from the crisis of recent years and is once again entering a growth trajectory. “Following the regime change, the Hungarian poultry sector managed to stay under mostly Hungarian ownership, which is definitely a notable result and the situation will hopefully remain this way in future.

"The importance of the sector is well reflected by the fact that its output in 2017 was HUF 317 billion, which represents more than 12% of total agricultural output. The numbers indicate that 52 percent of domestic meat production is provided by the poultry sector, while poultry production exceeds the country’s own market demand by 170 percent, and some 60 thousand people are employed in this sector, which is also very telling”, Mr. Farkas said, adding: “As a result of the bird flu epidemic, the performance of the goose sector decreased by approximately 20 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year”.

“Based on the data obtained in the first half of 2018, export has increased significantly, and it is very fortunate that goose stocks have increased by 18 percent to 3.3 million birds compared to last year”, Mr. Farkas told MTI, emphasising that Hungary is the number worldwide exporter of goose liver, with an annual quantity of 1,800 tons.

(MTI/Ministry of Agriculture Public Relations Office)