Dangerous livestock plague enters Hungary

PPR livestock plague enters Hungary

On Tuesday, news outlets in Hungary reported that the livestock disease peste des petits ruminants (plague of small ruminants) entered Hungary, and was identified at an animal farm in Szentgyörgyvölgy, Zala county, Western Hungary. The infected animals arrived from Romania on January 15, the National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) commented.

The plague of small ruminants (peste des petits ruminants, PPR) is also known as sheep and goat plague. It is a highly contagious animal disease affecting small ruminants. Once introduced, the virus can infect up to 90% of an animal heard, and the disease kills anywhere from 30% to 70% of infected animals. The PPR virus does not infect humans however. According to NÉBIH, the disease was never reported in Hungary before.

The culling of the affected livestock is underway, all small ruminant livestock import from Romania has been banned until further notice. The veterinary authority has designated a 3-km radius protection zone around the farm and a 10-km radius surveillance zone, which extends into Slovenia. Screening tests for sheep and goats have begun in the affected zones.

Avian influenza measures to be lifted in Hungary

The National Food Chain Safety Office (NÉBIH) has announced in the end of January that the livestock epidemic control restrictions in connection with Avian influenza will soon be lifted. The current Avian influenza epidemic in Hungary has been ongoing since October 2024, and the epidemic restrictions apply to the entire territory of Hungary. While the restrictions will be lifted, the virus itself is still present domestically, and has been found in wild bird carcasses. Therefore, further measures will remain in place to prevent a new outbreak.

The issuance of a livestock relocation permit requested by the keeper/owner will always be preceded by an official on-site inspection. After the lifting of the restrictions, new stock may only be relocated into the surveillance zones (whether the site was affected by an outbreak or not) with the permission of the veterinary authority.

At locations where avian influenza outbreaks have been confirmed three or more times since January 1, 2020 (considered high-risk sites), additional procedures will also be implemented. Details can be found on the NÉBIH website.

Honey situation complicated, beekeepers still struggling

Agrárágazat.hu reported recently that Hungarian beekeepers are still struggling with low prices. The situation is complicated. On the one hand, the trade balance has improved. Honey exports increased in volume by more than 32% last year, exceeding 13.59 thousand tons, but the average export price decreased by 17% compared to 2023. Imports significantly decreased, almost by half (870 tons), so the foreign trade balance of the domestic honey market improved significantly, reaching almost 48 million euros, which is 14.6% more than by October of the year before last. The portal added that, since Brussels is protecting the EU market with a in import tariff on Ukrainian honey (in which the country exceeded its quota last year), the situation improved.

On the other hand, the profitability of honey production is at an all time low, according to Péter Bross, head of the Hungarian beekeepers’ national association. Various factors contribute to this, including Hungary’s high inflation, the decreasing producer prices of honey, and the decline in the living standards of Hungarian citizens, which decreases the demand for acacia honey, the most expensive domestic variety. Retailers are also offering lower prices to honey producers, who are now trying to sell to consumers directly, either at farmers’ markets, or on the internet.

The portal further adds that a new call for proposals aimed at developing the ecosystem service capacity of bee colonies under the CAP Strategic Plan will aid beekeepers stay afloat. Applications for the doubled support amount, which is €30 per bee colony per year, can be submitted from January 27 to March 13.

Tax cuts for primary producers

Agrárágazat.hu reported this week that with a 9% increase in minimum wage, the taxes of small-scale primary producers will also become more favorable, as the thresholds related to personal income tax payment benefits for primary producers also rises. This will positively affect nearly 390 thousand primary producers.

With the new thresholds, if the primary producer qualifies as a flat-rate taxpayer according to the personal income tax law, and their revenue for 2025 does not exceed €4,360, they do not need to calculate income or submit a tax returns in 2026. Income from the production of beekeeping products by agricultural primary producers remains tax-free if it does not exceed half of the annual minimum wage (€4,360).