On the first day of the meeting, the ministers reached an agreement on the CAP reform for 2023-2027, following trilogue negotiations between the EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The final arrangements concerning the CAP negotiations were presented in the information of MARD of June 28, 2021.: https://www.gov.pl/web/agriculture/agreement-reached-on-the-future-of-the-common-agricultural-policy-after-2022

Fisheries

A large part of the agenda of the AGRIFISH Council meeting in Luxembourg was taken up by fisheries issues.

On the first day of its meeting, the Council adopted a general approach on a regulation on fisheries control. Work on this issue has been ongoing since 2018 and aims to simplify the fisheries control system, reduce the administrative burden and align the system with the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy. Poland opposed the proposed amendments on the grounds of additional restrictions for the small-scale fisheries sector, i.e. the need to equip fishing vessels under 12 metres' overall length with electronic traffic monitoring systems (VMS) and electronic reporting of fishing activities. Poland pointed to the disproportionate burdens involved, both for the fisheries sector and for the administration.

Ministers also debated the Commission communication on the progress of the implementation of the rules of the Common Fisheries Policy and on the consultation on fishing opportunities for 2022. This document predates the preparation of the legislative package that will be discussed this fall and will become the starting point for the adoption of the Council Regulation on fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022 and beyond.

Additionally, at the request of the delegations from: France, Ireland and Spain, ministers took a position on the unfavourable situation in the North-East Atlantic caused by unilateral decisions taken by Norway regarding fishing opportunities for certain fish species. Poland called for the dispute to be resolved diplomatically, at a higher political level, with respect for international law and with compliance with the existing commitments of both parties.

Other subjects submitted to the Council meeting

In the discussion, ministers supported the adoption of a Council decision calling on the Commission to submit a study on biological control agents. The use of macroorganisms in plant protection can make an effective contribution to reducing chemical plant protection methods and thus to achieving the ambitious goals of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy. However, it is important to realise that introducing new macro-organisms into agriculture carries a risk of them becoming established in the environment and threatening native biodiversity.

The ministers also discussed the issue of the protection of honeybees in the context of the review of the 2013 EFSA guidelines. Presented by the European Commission, it raises the problem of the extinction of many pollinator species, which is very important for the entire Europe.

In Poland's view, there should be a single special purpose of protection, common to the entire European Union. This will allow the impact of plant protection products on honeybees and other pollinators to be assessed and, consequently, plant protection products to be registered.

Situation on agricultural markets

The European Commission has presented a favourable picture of the current situation on the EU agricultural markets. However, some Member States reported serious problems in specific sectors and regions with a significant impact on producers' income, for example in the fruit and vegetables and wine sectors, where severe frosts in April destroyed large areas of production and extreme heat waves negatively affected the quality of the remaining crops. Despite rising prices, the spread of African swine fever and avian influenza and high feed prices continue to hamper the recovery of the meat sectors, which have been hardest hit by the closure of the hospitality sector. Moreover, as regards trade with the United Kingdom, the negative effects of the new relations established after the end of the transition period have started to become apparent. Imports, however, were more affected than exports. Ministers underlined in the discussion that the Council should continue to monitor very closely this situation on agricultural markets.

Bilateral meetings with agriculture ministers of Slovenia and Hungary

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Slovenia's Jože Podgoršek presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency – from July to December 2021. Among other things, Slovenia wants to focus on innovations in the food economy. Agriculture must be transformed to continue to provide safe, quality and accessible food, while acting responsibly towards natural resources, stressed the Slovenian minister.

It will also be a period of close ministerial cooperation in finalising legal texts and adopting the CAP reform package. Time is also foreseen to discuss the preparation of strategic plans and to exchange experiences in this regard.

During the meeting between Minister Grzegorz Puda and Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy, the topics of CAP reform and cooperation with regard to the biological material bank were discussed.

Minister Puda invited the Ministers of Agriculture of Slovenia and Hungary to participate in the conference of Agriculture Ministers of the Three Seas region, which we are organizing in Krakow on October 24-25, 2021, with the participation of the EU Commissioner for Agriculture. The main topic of discussion will be securing Europe with alternatives to imported feed ingredients.