Today, the future of agriculture and the agri-food sector is being discussed in Brussels by key stakeholders of the European agri-food sector, representatives of rural communities, consumers, think tanks, academic community and Members of the European Parliament. The major objective of the debate is to: build consensus around the Vision for agriculture and food and work on the final shape of the Common Agricultural Policy post-2027. The plenary session of the conference is attended by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czesław Siekierski.

"We have to answer the question of whether we need another reform – whether our farmers are expecting it. Farmers and agriculture do not expect cyclical reforms. They expect a stable policy in unstable times. Maybe it is worth abandoning the thinking about another reform of the CAP, understood as a new legislative package, with new concepts, with the same rules which have been rewritten. Maybe it is worth pursuing a smaller reform, i.e. focusing on simplifying the current legal framework, amending only those elements that really need simplification?” – proposed Minister Siekierski and once again stressed the key role of dialogue: “All our solutions should be broadly consulted with the agricultural community. Dialogue is essential as we need to shape the future together. It cannot be done without farmers."

The most important areas of “Shaping the future of agriculture and the agri-food sector” included a discussion on the basic challenge, which, at the current stage of work, is to ensure the proper level of financing for the Common Agricultural Policy.

"Europe is dominated by small and medium-sized farms. At the same time, EU agriculture is strongly diversified. The challenge for the Common Agricultural Policy now and in the future is to ensure the sustainability and economic stability for small farms. Small farms need to use the assets they have at their disposal (e.g. specialisation, quality systems, income diversification). The CAP should be a strong policy, with a separate budget which is appropriate to challenges and based on a two-pillar structure", said Minister Czesław Siekierski in Brussels.