The ministers focused primarily on the Livestock Strategy and the EU Protein Action Plan, both adopted by the European Commission on 7 July 2026.

Research and innovation for competitive agriculture

Minister Krajewski stressed that research and innovation should support farm competitiveness, animal welfare and health, and resource efficiency. In economic terms, they should help increase production efficiency and reduce dependence on external sources of protein.

“Research and innovation are, above all, tools that should bring together three dimensions of sustainability: farm competitiveness, animal health and welfare, and resource efficiency. Research into new varieties of high-protein crops that are resistant to disease and resilient to challenging and changing climatic conditions, innovations that reduce water and energy use, the use of renewable energy sources, and improved manure management are all crucial to the future of European agriculture,” the Polish Agriculture Minister emphasised.

He also noted that developing the protein crop sector would support biodiversity and improve soil quality and health.

Making new technologies accessible to all farms

The discussions also explored ways to support farmers in adopting new technologies and innovative practices. Poland called for stronger support, with particular attention to the needs of small and medium-sized farms.

“New technologies will only be successfully adopted if they are accessible to farmers, easy for them to understand and economically viable. Stronger cooperation between researchers and practitioners, regulatory stability and adequate funding are essential,” Minister Krajewski stressed.

Changes to animal welfare standards

The Minister also addressed the planned changes to animal welfare standards. He stressed that new rules should be introduced gradually and preceded by an assessment of their impact on the sector concerned.

“From our perspective, measures to phase out cage systems for laying hens and end the culling of day-old male chicks are particularly important. We still face significant technological and economic challenges in introducing alternatives. Moreover, these changes, announced in the EU strategy, could have far-reaching consequences for the poultry sector and egg producers. Higher animal welfare requirements also mean higher livestock production costs in the EU,” Minister Krajewski emphasised.

Highlights of the first day

On the first day of his visit, Minister Krajewski visited UCD Lyons Farm, University College Dublin’s research and teaching farm, the Irish National Stud, and the ICBF Progeny Test Centre in Tully. Minister Krajewski was accompanied by Ireland’s Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon and EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.

The informal meeting was organised by the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.