Is a large part of Hungary really turning into a desert?

Fifth FMD outbreak confirmed in Hungary

On April 17, 2025, Hungarian authorities confirmed a fifth outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a dairy farm in Rábapordány, Győr-Moson-Sopron County, the National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) reported. On Saturday, Minister for Agriculture István Nagy confirmed the outbreak at a press conference and that 875 heads of cattle were culled. The farm also had pigs, which were also put down preventively.

The news portal Agrárágazat.hu reported on April 22 that the Rábapordány outbreak is especially concerning because the source of the infection appears unrelated to earlier outbreaks, suggesting a new introduction of the virus.

Authorities have established protection and surveillance zones around the outbreak area, where stricter regulations have been implemented. A full census and sampling of susceptible livestock animals is underway.

Dr. Szabolcs Pásztor, Hungary’s Chief Veterinary Officer, has ordered the expansion of the restricted zone toward neighboring Vas and Veszprém counties. A full list of affected municipalities is available on the NÉBIH website. Within the designated area, the movement of susceptible animals is prohibited, the measures have been extended until May 5.  ,

NÉBIH also emphasized that in all restricted areas, events involving any animal species remain prohibited. Nationwide, all fairs, exhibitions, and gatherings involving susceptible species are banned. These measures have been extended until May 5, 2025.

The economic losses caused by the foot-and-mouth disease might be colossal

G7.hu recently reported on the latest updates on the latest foot-and-mouth (FMD) outbreaks in Hungary. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) poses a major threat to Hungary's meat and dairy markets, with significant public funds likely needed for compensation once the crisis is contained. While efforts remain focused on fighting the disease, growing financial pressures on market players raise concerns about the scale of the impact and the government's response. "Warehouses are full of unsold meat and milk, and this is going to be very costly," writes the portal, adding that sources in the two mostly affected industries (meat and dairy) reported that „currently everyone is just focused on survival.”

The agriculture ministry has repeatedly emphasized that the outbreak has been successfully contained so far, G7.HU writes, meaning ongoing blood tests across the country's farms have not detected any spread of the disease. While the government assures full compensation for containment efforts, additional market costs—like the usage and frequent change of protective gear, intensified cleaning and disinfection, and administrative work tied to regulatory processes—remain uncovered.

Meanwhile, exports of milk, dairy products, and meat have been halted to many countries due to the outbreak, leading to massive storage costs as warehouses approach capacity. If trade restrictions persist, there will soon be no place to store unsold goods, the portal adds.

During the disease containment efforts, several errors committed by the authorities were pointed out by experts. During the disposal and burial of the slaughtered animals, disinfection was not ensured in every case, and new infections appeared on farms that were close to each other. The authorities' communication has also received much criticism: the flow of information was slow, the information was incomplete, and some of the announced measures were not implemented – this caused a loss of trust not only within the market but also among foreign trade partners.

New special measure for FMD compensation introduced by government

The Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) reported that a new government decree on special livestock sector measures (No. 82/2025 (IV. 17.)) was announced and took effect immediately on April 22. It emphasizes the need to avoid market disruptions, particularly in the slaughter pig sector.

To that end, healthy slaughter pigs located within the affected zones will be purchased by two new governmentally created organizations, in cooperation with state actors.

Section 1 of the new legislation states that, based on national and EU emergency measures regarding foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Hungary and Slovakia, healthy slaughter pigs located in surveillance zones (as defined in EU Decision 2025/672) are to be purchased by the two state-affiliated organizations, the Food Rescue Center Nonprofit Ltd. and the Food Chain Safety Center Nonprofit Ltd.

Compensation for producers whose pigs are culled due to FMD measures will not follow the usual calculation rules. Instead, for pigs in additional restricted zones (also defined in EU Decision 2025/672), the compensation amount will be based on the net market value of the animal at the time of the incident, as recorded by the Market Price Information System operated by the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics (AKI). However, this value may be reduced by up to 40% compared to the average producer price in Hungary for that period.

Positive economic trends in March offset by changes in April

The GKI Economic Research Institute published its latest analysis on the Hungarian economy. The GKI economic sentiment index posted a negative correction in April. Both the business sector as well as the general population reported slightly more pessimistic expectations compared to March. As a result, the index dropped by 2 points, slightly offsetting the 3-point improvement seen in March, the institute noted. The GKI economic sentiment index is a composite indicator reflecting both business and consumer expectations.

Meanwhile, the GKI business confidence index also declined by 2 points. In April, only the business services sector reported an improvement, with a 2-point increase. Sentiment in commerce remained unchanged, while expectations in industry and construction worsened slightly, with declines of 4 and 2 points respectively.

In commerce, satisfaction with business performance over the past three months improved. However, expectations for orders in the coming three months deteriorated, while perceptions of inventory levels remained largely unchanged.

The average Hungarian wastes 62 kilograms of food per year

Trademagazin.hu recently reported on the situation of food waste in Hungarian households. Based Eurostat data, the portal reported that households generate 54% of food waste in the European Union, with the remaining share produced across other points in the food supply chain. In Hungary, however, this proportion is even higher, households account for around 70% of total food waste generated nationwide.

A recent survey by Nébih revealed that the average Hungarian adult generates 62 kilograms of food waste per year. Scaled to the whole population, that volume accounts for the same weight as 4 thousand blue whales, the report noted.

On an EU level, this is still a low figure. According to Eurostat, food waste amounts to 132 kg per inhabitant in the EU, and household food waste alone is 72 kg/inhabitant on an EU average. Cyprus is the biggest food waster in Europe, with an average of 294 kilograms of food waste per person annually, followed by Denmark, with 254 kg per inhabitant per year.

In Hungary, the vast majority of food waste, 82.5%, comes from prepared meals, baked goods, fresh vegetables and fruits, and dairy products. Notably, 41.6% of all food waste (25.8 kg per person annually) is considered avoidable—a figure that could be significantly reduced by purchasing only what is needed and better managing leftovers.

Hungary’s asparagus cultivation: A success abroad, but issues mount domestically

Hungary produces nearly three thousand tons of asparagus annually, but domestic consumption remains low, with the majority of the crop destined for export. According to Pénzcentrum.hu, the asparagus season in Hungary typically begins at the end of April, but due to the mild weather, the first fresh shoots have already appeared in local markets. This year’s first “pick-your-own” event has also kicked off early in Bács-Kiskun County, in the Hungarian Plain.

The National Chamber of Agriculture (NAK) also weighed in on the asparagus season. The chamber has told the news agency MTI that there is strong demand for high-quality Hungarian asparagus on both domestic and export markets. Although the total area under cultivation is shrinking, the volume produced for export continues to grow year after year.

Together with the Hungarian Fruit and Vegetable Interprofessional Organization (FruitVeB), NAK has analyzed the current situation.

Over the past decade, the area dedicated to asparagus cultivation has declined significantly, reaching just over 1,000 hectares in 2023. The primary reason is that asparagus is an extremely labor-intensive crop. For many small-scale producers, the ongoing labor shortage has become an insurmountable challenge.

The majority of Hungarian asparagus production is concentrated among half a dozen major producers, who primarily supply export markets. In contrast, small-scale growers typically sell to domestic markets.

As these smaller producers continue to struggle, less and less asparagus reaches Hungarian consumers. While in recent years the crop was roughly split 50/50 between exports and domestic sales, by 2024, as much as three-quarters of the harvest was exported.

Vast area on the brink of desiccation

Telex.hu recently reported that the Homokhátság area, in the middle of the Hungarian Plain, in Central and South Hungary, is in dire condition, as it is getting dryer and dryer on the path of desertification. Homokhátság spans 8,7 thousand km², and is home to more than 623 thousand people, representing 6.6% of Hungary’s population.

Homokhátság accounts for around 9.4% of Hungary’s area. In comparison, the region’s 8.7 thousand km² area equals to more than 20% of the land area of the Netherlands. It constitutes a large part of the Danube–Tisza Interfluve, the middle part of Hungary that is framed on the east and west by the Rivers Danube and Tisza, Hungary’s two central waterways.

Telex interviewed György Sipos, researcher and associate professor, head of the Department of Physical and Environmental Geography at the University of Szeged, about the ongoing desiccation of the Homokhátság.

According to Professor Sipos, the region’s only remaining hope lies in rainfall—but the outlook is bleak. While it’s impossible to predict how precipitation will develop long-term under the changed climate, current research suggests there is little chance of halting the decades-long drying trend in Homokhátság.

What’s more, restoring the region’s water balance would take at least as long as it took to deteriorate. The desiccation has been ongoing for at least 40 years, and in 2020, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) officially classified the area as semi-arid.

Agrárágazat.hu also reported on the findings of Professor Sipos, which were presented at a conference on the water challenges of the Southern Hungarian Plain. Agrárágazat reports that one of the most severe outcomes of the change in climate is the extreme distribution of rains. While Hungary’s precipitation has decreased from an annual 600 mm to 450-500 mm in the past years, the uneven distribution and the concentration of precipitation into massive, torrential rains instead of an even spread, have wreaked devastation.

Over the past 26 years, 13 have been classified as drought years, the portal writes. In the last four years alone, only 44% of the calendar days—644 days in total—were free from drought conditions.

The impact of drought extends far beyond agriculture. It affects drinking water supplies, navigation, hydropower production, and natural ecosystems.

Shipping, in particular, deserves special attention: Transport on the River Danube used to be one of the most cost-effective ways to export Hungarian grain. But as the number of navigable days declines, the agricultural trade sector is now suffering annual losses of several hundred million euros (€300–400 million).

Over the past decades, a number of potential solutions have been proposed, including, among others, a Danube–Tisza canal system, large-scale forestation, water retention measures, groundwater recharge, and landscape-based agricultural practices. The Great Hungarian Plain and Homokhátság have especially poor conditions for atmospheric moisture retention. For the region, rivers remain the only reliable source of water.

However, a new government policy is currently in development, and it appears to incorporate input from various ecologists and researchers. The plan would allocate €4.5 billion to support the replenishment of water in Homokhátság.

Agrárágazat.hu adds that, the question remains whether there will be enough water in Hungary’s two major rivers to support the plan, especially after the Danube and the Tisza have already suffered 10% and 30% reductions in flow respectively over the past decade. As a result, the policy will likely require the use of treated wastewater and rainwater as additional sources. Moreover, it calls for the urgent adoption of regenerative soil management practices.