Livestock farming in V4 countries face "serious problems" due to Russian embargo: spokesperson

The livestock farming sector in the Visegrad Four countries is facing serious problems with a surplus of goods that has accumulated as a result of the Russian embargo, Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) spokesperson Jana Holeciova said on Monday.

The chambers of the four countries, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, said their countries need to be allowed access to the Russian market again and called on the European Union to remove trade barriers as soon as possible.

"The situation has become even more urgent due to the fact that other international players have begun filling the gap on the Russian market," stressed Holeciova.

The four chambers discussed this year's excellent harvests, but they noted that unstable commodity prices this year have resulted in lower actual incomes for farmers than in past years.

Another topic of discussion was the TTIP and CETA international trade treaties.

"We need more studies to be able to evaluate the benefits and disadvantages of these agreements. We can't take a positive stance without detailed analyses," added Holeciova. Endit