István Nagy, Agriculture Minister, said the European Union's preferential treatment of Ukrainian farmers, while neglecting the interests of its agricultural sector, was unacceptable, speaking to journalists ahead of a meeting of his EU peers in Brussels on Monday.

"This cannot be allowed. We will not allow it," Minister Nagy said.

He called out the European Commission for finalising the main points of a trade deal between the EU and Ukraine "behind member states' backs" and said the resulting increase in imports of Ukrainian farm products would put European farmers in an "extremely disadvantageous position".

"We are committed to doing everything to prevent that agreement from entering into force," he added.

Minister Nagy said that, on the initiative of Hungary, the agriculture ministers of EU member states that share a border with Ukraine were calling on Brussels in a joint declaration to protect European farmers from a wave of Ukrainian farm products instead of defending the interests of Ukraine.

Addressing the next long-term EU budget, Nagy said Hungary took the position that support for farmers should not be reduced. He added that area-based and investment subsidies needed to be maintained, supporting a resilient, competitive, sustainable, farmer-friendly and knowledge-based agriculture sector.

Hungary insists on a separate budget for the farm sector, Minister Nagy said.