Hungary temporarily banning import of honey, certain meat products from Ukraine

BERLIN. April 20 (Interfax) - Hungary will put honey and certain meat products on a list of food imports from Ukraine that it will temporarily ban, the Associated Press reported

"We've seen in the last weeks and months that it has ruined the Hungarian agricultural market. We are glad to help Ukraine, but we must see clearly that solidarity cannot ruin Hungarian farmers, the Hungarian economy and especially Hungarian agriculture," government minister Gergely Gulyas was quoted as saying at a news conference.

Hungary has banned the import of 25 Ukrainian products including grains, oil seeds, flour and vegetable oil in addition to honey and meat until June 30, Gulyas said. Those products shipped from third countries will also have to be monitored as they enter Hungary to make sure they are not coming from Ukraine, he said.

He said that transit of Ukrainian products across Hungary would be permitted despite the import ban.

The Hungarian government announced a ban earlier in April on the import of grain from Ukraine, linking it to similar decisions by Poland and Slovakia. The authorities said they could not put Hungarian agriculture and the livelihoods of Hungarian farmers in danger.