The nearly 11-hour agenda of this year’s first plenary session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels was dominated by topics related to strengthening the competitiveness, sustainability and attractiveness of the European agricultural and fisheries sector and being part of the Cypriot Presidency’s priorities.

​​The assumptions of the EU strategy, in which agriculture and fisheries are the drivers of the bioeconomy and sustain the development of Europe’s coastal communities, have been discussed. ​​

– Agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry are fundamental sectors providing the economy with sustainable biomass and empowering producers in the value chain but they can play this role only with appropriately adapted financing mechanisms. In the case of forests, they should be available regardless of the form of ownership – noted the Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski in his speech.

The position of the Polish delegation stressed the development-oriented pillar, thanks to which the bioeconomy also becomes a tool of territorial development (particularly for rural and fishing areas) and contributes to creating new jobs. However, as Minister Krajewski pointed out, these overarching functions depended on providing efficient financial instruments and their diversification. Supporting research and innovation, while raising public awareness, is the best method to increase the competitiveness and resilience of local regions

Protection of sensitive sectors of the EU agricultural market in the context of trade agreements with third countries

Among the most difficult problems faced by farmers in the Member States, the issue of safeguard clauses and safety brakes in the context of free trade agreements with third countries, particularly with the Mercosur bloc and Ukraine, remains invariably relevant.

The initiative to take the necessary measures for protecting EU agriculture was presented during the AGRIFISH debate by Minister Stefan Krajewski and, as the discussion showed, the Polish position prepared together with Austria, Hungary and Slovakia also gained strong support among the majority of the Member States.

- The joint note of Poland, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, which I presented, contains a proposal to summarise potential solutions and safeguard mechanisms that have already been notified by us and that concern safeguard mechanisms in the event of excessive import. Let me remind you that for over a year Poland has been calling for a comprehensive analysis of the effects of all agreements that affect the agricultural sector. Only such action gives a full picture of the impact of liberalisation and concessions granted on the individual EU agricultural markets – said Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski and appealed for adapting imported products to the EU production standards, which was crucial to ensure a level playing field and for establishing appropriate financial mechanisms to compensate farmers for possible losses.

– We are of opinion that the implementation of these demands is necessary from the point of view of the future of the EU agricultural sector and the European agricultural model, but it is also necessary to guarantee our food security – indicated the Minister.

During the discussion, the position of Poland, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia was endorsed by the vast majority of countries. The greatest attention in the debate has been paid to bilateral safeguard clauses, which, adapted to the specific characteristics and needs of the agricultural sector, should be included in each Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and apply for an indefinite period of time (not only during the transition period). In the opinion of the Member States’ representatives, the clauses should provide for a rapid response in the event of threats and take into account the fragmentation of agricultural production, its seasonal nature, the family nature of many farms and ensure the possibility of responding to threats at regional level. As indicated, the provisions regarding safeguard mechanisms in the recently negotiated agreement with Mercosur and the agreement with Ukraine do not fully comply with the above-mentioned criteria.

In the presented positions, the Member States expressed their expectation that the analytical work currently being conducted by the Commission would be completed quickly and that legislative proposals would be submitted to allow to adapt imported products to the EU production standards. The indicated demands:

• creation of a fund to compensate for potential losses incurred by the agricultural sector that may result from the entry into force of free trade agreements (quotes from the discussion: “The agricultural sector should not be treated as a “payer” of concessions in other sectors of the economy” “Agriculture is not the scapegoat of the agreement with Mercosur”)
• adaptation of import requirements for products from third countries to the production standards; the necessity to apply uniform requirements to EU commodities and import is to apply to food (including the application of pesticides and antibiotics) and to sustainability requirements related to animal welfare, climate and environmental protection and labour standards.
• Analysis of the cumulative impact of trade concessions on the agricultural sectors of EU Member States, where the first step should be to summarise all already granted and planned preferences, including the agreements with Ukraine and Mercosur, in sensitive agricultural sectors such as confectionery, meat, cereals, fruit and vegetables as well as dairy products.

The discussion on the position presented by Minister Stefan Krajewski ended with a summary made by the Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen, who announced work on monitoring commodity flows and comprehensive reporting of results as well as maintaining food safety standards, which is to be achieved by proposing a zero limit on 3 active substances (special regulations in this regard are to be voted on by the Commission already in early February.)

Positions of the Polish delegation on other topics of the AGRIFISH Council
 Brussels, 26 January 2026

1. Crisis in the European dairy sector: Poland joins Hungary’s request to launch aid in connection with the crisis on the European milk market.
   
   Minister Stefan Krajewski: “I would like to point to the need to raise intervention prices. These prices have remained unchanged for many years and in the meantime the costs of production have significantly risen.”
    
2. Organic farming:
   The Council discussed the proposal to amend the regulation on organic farming with regard to the rules on production, labelling, certification and trade with third countries.
   Polish position: the draft amendment to the regulation on organic farming introduces simplifications that will reduce excessive administrative burden for organic farming entities, nevertheless, the multitude of less urgent issues contained in the draft poses the risk of failing to adopt the regulation on time.
    
3. Field crops sector under pressure: urgent measures to protect EU agriculture (CBAM
   Polish position: We point to the need to develop an optimal solution in the case of CBAM, so as to maintain food security on the one hand, and on the other – to mitigate the potential negative impact on the competitiveness of EU producers of fertilisers. The rate of rise in retail prices of fertilisers over 5 years was significantly faster than the rate of rises in the purchase prices of basic agricultural products.
   
   Minister Stefan Krajewski: “We note the appeal for creating a mechanism to compensate for the competitive disadvantage that farms may face and the possibilities of temporary reduction in tariffs on fertilisers imported into the EU.”
    
4. Animal welfare as a future priority in the Commission’s work programme
   Polish position: we support measures to improve animal welfare in agriculture. However, they must take into account the realities of the market economy, the economic situation of farmers and the need to provide consumers with access to food at affordable prices.
   
   Minister Stefan Krajewski: “Referring to the issue of fur production, I would like to inform you that in Poland the prohibition on keeping animals for this purpose will apply from 2034.”
    
5. Mackerel stocks in the North-East Atlantic
   Polish position: for Poland, mackerel stock is of very high economic importance, therefore, we are worried to learn the decision of 4 Coastal States that have adopted a partial stock agreement not taking into account the scientific advice of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The reduction in the TAC for mackerel by 70% has a significant impact on the Polish fishing sector.
    
6. EU food security and sovereignty
   Polish position: with regard to architecture of the Common Agricultural Policy, a permanently preferred solution is to sustain a two-pillar structure and provide a separate, stable budget adequate to the challenges and needs.
   
   Minister Stefan Krajewski: “I would like to point out that the Commission's proposal submitted in January does not change the national allocations for national and regional partnership plans, but allows to pre-program some part of the flexibility amount for CAP support, which is a step in the right direction.”