SaS: Foot-and-mouth Disease Will Deepen Gaps between Slovak Farmers

Bratislava, March 24 (TASR) - Foot-and-mouth disease could have economic impacts on domestic agriculture, which is already very fragile and unbalanced, MP Alojz Hlina told a news conference held by the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party on Monday. The fact that there are farmers capable of restoring cattle breeding, but there are also those who wouldn't be able to manage it in terms of finances, will strengthen the significant imbalance of Slovakia's agricultural sector, stated Hlina. Hlina views protecting cattle as the most important thing at the moment. "We're obliged to help those people who still have cows in their sheds," he stressed. According to SaS vice-chair Marian Viskupic, strong entities will be financially able to overcome the crisis, while small breeders will go under. This could subsequently result in an increase in food prices. "The bigger and stronger someone is, the more they can dictate prices. Therefore, it is crucial that we do our best for small farmers, to truly support them, not to lose them," said Viskupic. He added that price growth will also depend on whether only the current three livestock farms are hit or the infection will spread further. According to him, prices could be affected by panic in the market as well as the actual food shortages, which would lead to hikes. Hlina also criticised the attitude of Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD), stating that he hasn't adopted enough measures. He views the current situation on the state border with Hungary as surprising, adding that it isn't being treated responsibly enough. ko/df