During the meeting the Ministers discussed the present and future challenges related to the coordination of actions in the EU and in the world to safeguard global food security. The Ministers also talked about the contribution of new technologies and new breeding techniques to achieving more sustainable food systems.

The effectiveness of actions

Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk stressed that the problems related to the effectiveness of actions to safeguard food security resulted from the scale of challenges and the dynamics of the recent events on the agricultural markets. He pointed out that the effectiveness of actions required a more consistent position of the EU Member States on such key issues as energy, environment and climate, while respecting the potential of each Member State.

In the opinion of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, the better identification of the weak points of the supply chain and more effective actions would be ensured by access to current data, among others, on the stock volume, the commodity flow and transaction rates, combined with a rapid alert system for risks.

Challenges and needs

“The public objectives set out in the scope of the environment and climate should not restrict the agricultural activity which meets the increasingly large food needs of the growing world population. The climate and environmental objectives should be ambitious, but they should not pose risks for the Treaty-based, i.e. fundamental, objectives defined for the Common Agricultural Policy,” the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk pointed out that the present situation caused by the war in Ukraine and its consequences clearly demonstrated the need for trade-offs between long-term objectives and immediate short-term solutions so as to maintain the adequate food supply level.

“The Common Agricultural Policy, supported by a solid EU budget, should also remain in the future the main instrument for funding the adaptation of the EU agricultural sector to new challenges and the attainment of the EU objectives in the area of food security,” Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk said.

The Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development pointed out that in the short term the challenges included disturbances in energy carrier supplies and a large increase in their prices. Particular causes for concern include the suspension of nitrogen fertiliser production by many European companies and the risk of the interruption of deliveries of products which are indispensable for the agri-food industry.

In the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister, consideration should also be given to the need to develop the infrastructure enabling the exports of Ukrainian agri-food products to third countries.

“An urgent task is also the elimination of bottlenecks in the transport systems. As a transit country, Poland has a large capacity, but also needs in this scope,” the head of the Ministry of Agriculture stressed.

Modern technologies

Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk stated that the transformation of food systems in the face of climate change and the growing population posed a huge challenge. This results from the simultaneous implementation of the objectives of increased agricultural production, higher productivity and reduced pressures on the environment and climate.

The Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development noted that there was an additional difficulty brought about by the present economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. This situation makes it necessary to apply modern solutions, such as precision farming, decision support systems and other digital tools. It can provide opportunities for both large and small farms.

Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk stated that scientific research and innovation were of crucial importance for the development of new technologies and innovative solutions. In the opinion of the head of the Ministry of Agriculture, the achievement of the objectives set out in the Farm to Fork Strategy, including those related to the reduction of the use of chemical inputs to production, will require efforts of the Member States and stakeholders.

“Enhanced availability of new technologies for agriculture could provide an effective tool for supporting the implementation of these objectives,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The talks with the head of the Ministry of Agriculture of France

On the sidelines of the informal meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Henryk Kowalczyk held talks Mr. Mark Fesneau, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of France. The Ministers discussed the issues related to the war in Ukraine and its impact on the situation of farmers in the EU, selected legislative proposals discussed at the EU level and the situation related to ASF. Both Ministers pledged to strengthen the good Polish-French cooperation in the field of agriculture.