Hungary Newsflash Week 27
Animal health updates, pig and poultry aid, envrionemtal subsidy, the mysteriously appearing fish - The last week in Hungarian agriculture
Temporary aid to agro sectors
As the fowl meat and pig sectors faced extraordinary circumstances this past season on multiple fronts, the Ministry of Agriculture is allocating €7.8 million from the Economic Action Plan for the short-time aid of these industries. Per a ministerial decree in the end of June (29/2020 (VI. 22.)), those who are eligible for de minimis subsidies in the target sectors can receive €14.68 per animal for providing ample lighting conditions and €25.68 per animal for providing fresh water. The application period is between June 29 and July 12.
Horticulture, fruit and vegetable production also faced hard times, which is why a new regulative change allows for the allocation of €2.8 million for crisis prevention and management. Farmers' collectives can now apply for partial financial aid for these activities. Another special subsidy is dedicated to food production. Between June 29 and July 12, food production companies can apply for a one-time aid of €355.4 per employee. According to State Secretary Róbert Zsigó of the Ministry of Agriculture, food production is strategical, and maintaining the nation’s independent food supply is paramount. State Secretary Zsigó also added that the conditions of the subsidy are the same for SMEs and large producers, but he asked companies with over 250 employees to take on the role of donating some of the aid to charity food organizations. The Ministry is also allocating another €2.8 million for one-time aids to the apiculture sector.
Infectious equine anaemia virus in Hungary
Authorities reported a recent new outbreak of the disease from a farm (1 infected, 12 susceptible horses) near Öregcsertő, Bács-Kiskun County in South Hungary. Necessary measures (movement control inside the country; screening; quarantine) were put in place. Source: OIE
Observation areas to be phased out
Békés County, Hungary: Observation areas for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) are about to be phased out as there were no new cases of Avian flu sicne May 15th in the southeastern part of county. Most of the observation area lockdowns were lifted on June 24th. The areas around Kardoskút, Békéssámson, Orosháza are expected to be lifted no earlier than July 9th, due to the infections in neighboring counties. Source: NÉBIH
“Green Source”: Environmental NGO subsidies
The Ministry of Agriculture is allocating €200 thousand for its yearly program “Green Source,” a subsidy package for NGOs and foundations with an environmental protection or nature conservation profile, in line with the goals of Hungary’s National Nature Protection Program. With the end of the state of danger special legal order put in place due to the pandemic, hundreds of NGOs are now applying for the Green Source package. Individual NGOs generally receive financial aid of around €2.8-3.4 thousand which they use for environmental research, public education programs on environmentalism, as well as popular science and public information programs.
The secret of the mysteriously appearing fish
It has been a well-observed phenomenon that in isolated bodies of water (E.g. garden ponds, newly made artificial lakes, other inland waters) various fish species can randomly appear out of thin air – Or thin water in this case.
Two Hungarian researchers, Ádám Lovas-Kiss and Balázs András Lukács, of the Centre for Ecological Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, uncovered the origin of these curious animals. Scientists have suspected for a while that some unknown factor can contribute to the spreading of fish into new bodies of water. In their study, the researchers fed Prussian carp and common carp roe (eggs) to captive mallards to find out whether the roe survives the digestive systems of water fowls. As it turns out, most of the mallards left behind fish roe in their droppings, of which 0.2% remained intact, some still containing live embryos. The researchers stressed that the Prussian carp can have a very high invasive potential. Only one viable egg cell is enough to kickstart a new population since these fish can reproduce asexually via spontaneous gynogenesis. The study has been published in the American PNAS scientific journal.
Photo credit:
Cover: "Cherry picking (6)" by Melissa, via Flickr.
"Chickens," by Open Gate Farm, via Flickr.