Opening the EU borders wide in response to the war in Ukraine has resulted in an increased influx of cereals. This destabilised the Polish grain market. The Council of Ministers has adopted a regulation supporting Polish farmers. 

“The regulation adopted by the Council of Ministers is intended to shield farmers from these negative outcomes. It helps with exporting surplus grain, which still clogs Polish farmers’ and companies’ warehouses, just in time for the next harvest,” Jan Grabiec, Director of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, stated during a press conference.

The government has been working on solutions for the Polish rural areas for many weeks now. Support for farmers will be funded from the Aid Fund.

This is a temporary solution, which is supposed to remove surplus grain from the Polish market.

“Farmers, who sold grain between 1 January and 10 March will receive a subsidy of 200 PLN per tonne for wheat and other cereals. The subsidy is raised to 300 PLN for all sales between 11 March and the end of May. The aid package also features aid per hectare of wheat - 1,620 PLN in the period from 11 March to the end of May and slightly less from 1 January to 10 March,” Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Michał Kołodziejczak explained.

“The subsidies will be paid out by the Agency for Restructuring, which has the relevant documents and all the data concerning the status of the fields,” the Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski added. 

Farmers who have already sold their crops at lower prices will not lose out.

“We do not want to harm farmers who decided to sell grain at lower prices, following their meetings with the Prime Minister. They will not lose out - they will receive adequate compensation, so that they can continue their operations without disruptions,” said Jan Grabiec.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and government representatives held meetings with farmers' representatives on several occasions. Their talks covered changes to the provisions of the European Green Deal.

“Our government managed to achieve a lot in this regard over the past 4 months, but this is not the end of changes. Of course, we will continue convincing the European Union to focus on helping and protecting agriculture and farmers in the face of serious threats, rather than on imposing conditions and demands that exceed the organisational and operational capabilities of farmers," said the head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

The European Parliament approved the changes to the Green Deal. Farmers will be exempt from some of the most stringent environmental demands and the administrative burden will be reduced. The key change concerns abolishing the requirement to keep parts of the fields unused. 

The government also intends to launch consultation teams, comprising protesters' representatives and government representatives.

“We are launching our new problem-solving teams, with experts and representatives of various farmers' organisations. They will allow us to cover individual issues concerning various sectors. We are going to focus on both ongoing and future issues," Czesław Siekierski announced.

Starting on 1 January 2025, Poland will contribute to shaping EU policy. The Presidency of the Council of the European Union gives us the opportunity to set priorities for the entire EU.