Ruptly
"European agriculture ministers arrived in Brussels for crunch talks on the fertiliser crisis and other issues from the Iran war on Monday - with some suggesting the EU was in deep trouble, and others refusing to contemplate reducing tariffs on Russian supplies to help out farmers. French minister Annie Genevard told reporter: "I completely understand the concerns of fertiliser producers. But the fact is that the European Union is not self-sufficient or sovereign in terms of fertilisers. We only produce 40% of fertilisers. So, we need to make progress in sovereignty, a fertiliser plan is needed, obviously." Fertiliser prices have shot up due to the situation around the Strait of Hormuz, with farmers seeing surging costs across the EU. However, both Ireland and Finland in particular refused to contemplate reducing tariffs on Russian supplies to ease that burden. "Restrictions on Russian products in general are there for very good reasons, and we in Ireland stand in full solidarity with our colleagues in the Ukraine," said Ireland's Martin Heydon. "But on the broader point around fertiliser, there will be discussion today around how Europe can enhance its own resilience. You know, there is obviously the short-term challenges that we face." One reporter put to Finland's Sari Essayah: "Would you be for lowering the tariff on Russian fertilisers like the Hungarians are?" "No, that’s not the answer for this situation, for it will only increase Russia’s war chest," Essayah replied. Hungary has argued for zero tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilisers in response to the global rise in prices."
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