“This is a huge bonus for our European farmers” in terms of increased exports to the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, Hansen said.

Ukraine is the “elephant in the room”

The prospect of Ukraine and its important agricultural sector joining the EU is making European farmers nervous, Hansen said. “So this needs to be properly prepared… community solidarity towards Ukraine is not something we should take for granted… We don’t need to inflict losses on our agricultural sector at due to the accession of one or more other countries.”

Are farmers’ fears justified? Hansen, who comes from a farming background, alluded to his brother’s experience as a farmer during EU enlargement in 2004, when countries including Poland and Hungary joined the bloc : “I remember in 2004 my brother was really, really upset when some new member states joined the European Union because he also feared a price crisis for his crops. Was this now true? I’m not sure in the end, I won’t judge, but in the end we found solutions.

As for the next revision of the free trade agreement between the EU and UkraineHansen said it was essential to “learn lessons” from emergency trade measures implemented following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which froze tariffs on all exports of kyiv.

Yes, we should reduce livestock emissions – but not “hard cuts”

Hansen walked nimbly on the cattle tightrope. He acknowledges that these animals account for 85 percent of EU agricultural emissions and that “we need to do more work” in this area.

However, he also put forward several “buts”. Firstly, agriculture is only responsible for 11 percent of overall EU emissions, so the problem should not be exaggerated. Second, the cattle herds are already in decline: his brother died last year and no one has bought his animals yet.