The day marked the 20th anniversary of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an international agreement that seeks to protect biological diversity from potential risks posed by GMOs, according to agroinform.hu.

Hungary signed the protocol in 2004 and is now among 173 signatories, the ministry noted. Hungary's government opposes a proposal by Brussels to take away European Union member states' right to decide whether or not to allow cultivation of GMO crops and to cease their mandatory designation, the ministry said.

Hungary's new constitution, in force from 2012, aims to ensure the domestic farm and food sector remains GMO-free, it added.