Response to the situation in agriculture

The EU Ministers held a debate on the measures to be taken in the current crisis situation in agriculture. The Austrian delegation presented a note on the challenges faced by European agricultural and forestry companies in connection with the regulation on deforestation. Poland joined the document.

– We support the demand to extend the period for implementing this regulation. At the same time, we are of opinion that it is required to exclude from these regulations those Member States where national regulations allowing for sustainable forest management are in place – said Minister Czesław Siekierski.

Position of Poland

Minister Czesław Siekierski thanked the Commission for the instant development of amendments to the basic regulations of the Common Agricultural Policy – We fully support the presented simplifications, which are a direct response to the crisis situation in the agricultural sector – stressed the head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture.

Minister Siekierski highlighted that it was now important to quickly and efficiently adopt the changes expected by the farmers – I hope that the European Commission will present another package of amendments, since the Member States proposed a more extensive list of simplifications – said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Minister Siekierski informed that Poland upheld previous demands that have not been considered by the European Commission yet, i.e.:

• introducing the possibility of reporting amendments that do not affect the final objectives;
• reducing the time required for the Commission to approve the proposal for a revision of the strategic plan from 3 months to 1 month, which would significantly improve the process of introducing necessary modifications;
• abandoning the introduction of the social conditionality requirement and GAEC 2 standard.

Minister Siekierski supported the work on solutions ensuring a fair agri-food supply chain – We are committed to empowering of farmers, who are the weakest link in the food chain – said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that it was necessary to ensure the profitability and continuity of agricultural production. He stressed that those issues were currently at risk due to the geopolitical situation, unfair market practices, high costs of investments aimed at adapting to the CAP objectives and requirements, high costs of inputs, unfavourable demographic changes and competitive products from third countries.

The situation in agricultural markets

The Ministers discussed the current situation in agricultural markets, particularly in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Position of Poland

Minister Siekierski informed that one of the biggest problems in Poland were the very low prices of grains and their excessive stocks. He stated that the EC should take measures before the commencement of this year’s harvest.

– We propose to allocate surplus grains for humanitarian aid for countries in need and to introduce subsidies for grain transport within the EU and to deficit regions outside the EU – informed the head of the Polish delegation.

The Minister noted that in the long term, it was necessary to consider a review of crisis management instruments.

– It is worth considering the wider use of financial instruments. The agricultural reserve is an essential element of the safety net, but its amount is small on the scale of the whole European Union – emphasised the Minister.

– The lack of updating intervention prices means that in practice there is no public intervention, which should be an essential element of the safety net – added the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

As regards the issue of import from Ukraine, the Minister stressed that in the near future an agreement on the extension of autonomous trade measures (ATM) for Ukraine would be necessary.

– The result of the talks held so far in this matter is not satisfactory for us, as it does not consider our key demands. I am talking about mainly the change in the reference period from 2022-2023 to 2021-2023. This would allow to mitigate the effects of excessive import at least partially. Just like France, we would like to include wheat in the scope of the automatic clause – explained Minister Siekierski.

The head of the Polish delegation informed that the solution should be sought in the return to mutually beneficial trade relations, and the conditions should be negotiated based on a deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA).

Moreover, Minister Siekierski stated that agricultural goods from Ukraine should be sent back to its traditional export markets in third countries, particularly, in Africa and the Middle East. He stressed that a comprehensive analysis of the functioning of agricultural markets, including the effects of opening up to external markets and the rise in production costs, would be necessary.

The future of agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy

The Belgian Presidency presented the information on the events it had organised on the future of agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy.

Position of Poland

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czesław Siekierski stressed that the experience of recent weeks showed the importance of the discussion on the future of agriculture and the CAP for farmers all over Europe. – This discussion should result in including agriculture in the priorities of EU policy again – stated Minister Siekierski.

– I hope that the results of the debates will help to find solutions quickly, in particular, in terms of decent remunerations for farmers and increasing the complementarity of agricultural policy and other EU policies, especially trade policy – added the head of the Polish delegation.

New genomic techniques

Upon request of Spain, the issue of new genomic techniques was raised. The Spanish delegation presented a note on providing the agri-food sector with new plant breeding strategies aimed at strengthening the sustainability, resilience and profitability of that sector.

Position of Poland

Minister Siekierski stated that the issue of regulating the presence of NGT plants in the European Union was important – it required a reliable debate and the development of additional solutions. He stressed that it was necessary for the Member States to discuss doubts such as patents, NGT 1 marking or safety assessment.

For Poland, the most important is to:

• exclude from patentability those plants, genes and genetic traits that can be found in nature or obtained by means of conventional breeding techniques and
• ensure that breeders continue to have free access to breeding materials and farmers continue to have access to harvest material.

– A continuation of these principles will guarantee the maintenance of stable development of plant breeding and the provision of equal access to breeding materials for small, medium-sized and large companies – explained the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Meetings on the sidelines of the Council meeting

On the sidelines of the AGRIFISH Council, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czesław Siekierski held bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Agriculture of Ukraine, Hungary, Ireland, Austria, Sweden and France.

On the initiative of Hungary, a meeting of the Ministers for Agriculture of V4 (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) was held, during which the priorities of the future Hungarian Presidency were presented.