lilacwood

Hi we are looking into having a second stud farm in Hungary ,does anyone know if there are laws or permits needed ? eg in Portugal you must apply for a license past 5 horses plus strict regulations on acreage to horses.
I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction if they know.
also land prices per acrea~? and anyone know of agricultural agents ?

Thanks

Peter_in_Hungary

Hi
As far as I know there are no specific regulations for horse breeding. The general regulations about animal welfare apply. We have and breed Hungarian grey cattle and have a couple of horses. We have to be registered as a breeding establishment and can only use a registered bull. It will be the same for horses. Horses need registration and a 'chip' identification and periodic blood tests (3 years for our horses but annually for our cattle). I do not believe there is a hectare requirement for horses but rather regulations to ensure that the FYM produced is managed in a manner that does not harm the environment. I know of horse establishments where the horses are boxed and have an exercise coral.

The price of land varies depending upon the type and the area, around here (Balaton uplands) it is about 3500 euro / Ha. In the northern part of Hungary prices can be less than half of that.

A bigger problem is that it is now difficult to buy land as the regulations regarding land purchase have been designed to stop non-Hungarians buying land but still comply with EU rules. Non EU citizens can not buy land.

However you can buy up to 1 Ha without coming under these regulations, but then you would be rather limited in the number of animals you could keep without falling foul of the pollution regulations (or have expensive management methods) and you would be dependent on buying in feed all year.

lilacwood

OK Thank you very much for your detailed reply Peter!

We would be relocating to Hungary but just keep the U.K stud aswell just so we have a base to keep horses when we bring them over to sell in Spring.
So we can buy farms as residents,no problem.

Why are horses blood tested every 3 years ? in uk ALL horses must be microchipped,and passported and the registries of Spanish and some other breeds we have take blood test for proof of parentage but not after.

Yes we currently keep 14 horses on 5 acreas and in fact we have way too much rich grass so that suit us fine,thats great news for us then !

ok thanks again

Peter_in_Hungary

You can buy land as residents IF you have a recognised agricultural qualification. And I would not say 'no problem'. Land purchase here is problematic and there will be a list of people who will have the right to purchase ahead of you at your contract price if they so wish.
Disease control
That won't work here - Our rainfall is about 600mm / year, one year we had 300mm for the whole year and a spell of 2 1/2 months with no rain! Summer temperatures at high 20s to low 30s and no rain for a few weeks makes rich grass a distant memory. We manage 1 AU / ha (AU = animal unit = 1 cow or horse) to support grazing and winter feed. The land is split approximately half and half between grazing and hay making and the grazing season is March to October depending upon the weather although some years we have had to feed hay in August due to no rain (= no grass)

Farms here generally lack the infrastructure you expect to find in the UK for example few have fences or hedge rows and water to the fields is almost unknown. Depending upon which part of the country you decide upon finding a 'farm' that is farm house with farm buildings and its land around it could provide a challenge!

Do you know when and where you expect to move?

fidobsa

There was a thread on here about ragweed but it seems to have been removed. You should be aware that Hungary has a problem with ragweed, a plant which is poisonous to horses. Apparently it spread rapidly in the early post communist years when there were areas of agricultural land left to go wild.

lilacwood

OK let me explain i think i need to clear up some confusion,ALL my horses come from Spain or Holland and they do not have ANY grass in southern Spain (valencia ) most of year ,I keep my horses the same as they do in Spain,I have grass all year in UK because i manage it like any other competition yard does very well and have exercise paddocks alongside GRAZING paddocks,hence why my grazing paddocks are too lush !


I am aiming for southern Hungary and within next few weeks ill be out there looking and if all seems well ill be buying now and moving once my property is finished before winter. eg fencing

Peter can I ask exactly what disease control you are refereing too please? as I know cattle are tested for TB ,but NOT horses they do not have risk of TB ,so please what else could every 3 years blood tests be needed ? Thankyou

Ragweed you mean RAGWORT ,its common in uk aswell dont worry its dealt with by digging up from root and burning ,we check for this strictly its even attracts stiff penalities in uk now if reported thankyou for your concerns

fidobsa

No, I don't mean ragwort, ragweed is a different plant and you don't have it in UK.

Ragweed - HowStuffWorks

Peter_in_Hungary

Hi
Sorry to make assumptions about your knowledge of animal husbandry in hot dry climates but many who post here assume (at the beginning) that what works in the UK will probably more or less work here. Some things do work, others don't.

The blood test is for Equine Infectious Anaemia or EIA. Horses found positive are slaughtered with government compensation paid. (Providing their paperwork is in order otherwise its slaughter without compensation!!)

Ragweed is NOT ragwort. it is Ambrosia artemisiifolia. ragwort is Senecio jacobaea.

Whilst ragwort is poisonous to grazing animals ragweed is not (as far as I know). My cattle eat it without any problems although generally after they have eaten the grass. Sheep also eat it without ill effects. The main problem with the plant - and the reason it is controlled by regulation - is that the pollen causes severe hay fever in those susceptible. (I don't recall seeing ragwort here!)

If you are looking in southern Hungary the prices should be much cheaper than the prices I quoted above for my area, (Balaton uplands).

Again, sorry if you already know, but take care when buying property here as everyone knows all foreigners are rich and some estate agents can be less than honest. Consumer protection as in the UK does not exist here. There are several threads about the woes of property purchase in Hungary. The general advice would be to have a Hungarian speaking person working for you, (not an estate agent).

Cross posted with fidobsa about ragweed/ragwort,

lilacwood

Ah OK that makes alot of sense Thankyou both ! Yes iam sure alot of people do assume they can just carry on as they do in other countries ,but i had already moved once with my stud to southern France 4 years ago so iam also accustomed to dealing with foreign ways when it comes to my horses.
I will also be bringing my few sheep and poultry and a pet pig ,we already live the self sufficiant lifestyle in uk ,in fact i dont even have electric from grid but solar instead, Hungary appeals to me because of the landscape the fact it has proper seasons and ofcourse their love of Horses ,it also seems a very clean part of the world and i like the idea i can drive a few hours and be in another country i may not want to live but woukld like to visist often like croatia.
Peter what area would I need to look up to be in your area of Balaton uplands? is there a good reason why its more expensive ? or is it because its more developed ?
were be coming out in about 3 weeks time for a week proberbly looking in Zala and more south ,then we will plan a second trip to see other areas to check.
One more question and i know its difficult to answer ,what really is the areas best to avoid for flooding ? thanks in advance

lilacwood

Swamp Fever is what i know EIA to be called,we did have an outbreak in uk a few years ago as i recall ,i knew it was a notifiable disease like eva and strangles but i havent heard of routine blood tests every 3 years,what happens do the vets contact you and then they come out to take blood,or is it just tested in your area if an outbreak is reported ?
very unerving thought,but one id have to get used to iam pleased you told me Peter as it would be a shock otherwise

Peter_in_Hungary

Our vet 'phones us when blood tests and other compulsory items for the cattle are due and makes an appointment to do the work.

I have sent you an email

John Gilbert

EU pursues Hungary over foreign ownership land law — EU - European Union business news and information | eubusiness.com


Sorry to be pedantic but the EU doesn't think the new land laws are fair & has launched legal action.


Separately, I have been advised by a lawyer ( I have no way of judging whether rightly or wrongly) that although EU nationals can buy up to 1 Ha in theory, in practise it is often (always) blocked by government as they built in multiple discretionary reasons for blocking into the legislation.


I wish there were statistics available on how many sales to EU nationals of agricultural land have actually gone through - perhaps there are?


Regards

BEVS

I can't help at all being down in New Zealand but just wanted to say what a good thread this is and to also say that I just love your username lilacwood.
You just need an avatar to match that now now.

Karma your way guys.

lilacwood

Hi guys I know its more complicated buying agricultural land in Hungary ,it is also very strict (or should be ) in uk and france.Yes its a longer process but we are farmers ,all it does is protect land from being bought up by people who want glorified gardens,i understand it can be frustrating but without a better coin of phrase ''for the greater good''

Thankyou BEVS lilac wood is one of my Studs names the other is Crown Empire,Its a sentance from peter beagles book the last unicorn which i treasure xx

lilacwood

There a new Avatar to match lol x

We are in Hungary on Tuesday this week ! very exciting and thankyou to everyone for getting involved some of you im sure we will meet x