The conference was also attended by the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany Cem Özdemir and high-ranking representatives of the ministries of agriculture from 14 countries of the initiative.

Symbolic aspect of the meeting

In his speech, Director General Bogusław Wijatyk highlighted the importance and strong symbolic aspect of the meeting, pointing to this year’s 35th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the 20th anniversary of the European Union enlargement to include new Member States, also Poland.

Poland in the European Union

The Director General of the MARD stressed the positive balance and added value of 20 years of presence of Poland in the EU. In order to allow for a fair discussion on the role of the EU and the benefits of membership, of essential importance is the effective and continuous communication between authorities and administrations and the public.

It is also important to involve stakeholders, including, first of all, farmers and processors, in the dialogue on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and to consult the newly introduced regulations with the industry in a broader manner.

Future Common Agricultural Policy

Director General Wijatyk stressed that the future of the CAP after 2027 had to be based on the support for sustainable and resilient agriculture, which combined the care for the environment with innovation and digitalisation.

– We need to ensure that small and medium-sized farms have equal opportunities for competitiveness in the increasingly changing market and climate environment – emphasised Director Wijatyk.

– Direct payments should remain a pillar of stabilisation of farmers’ income while application procedures should be simple and transparent. CAP resources should be fairly distributed among the Member States and targeted at supporting small and medium-sized farms – he added.

European Union enlargement

The Director General of the MARD stressed that the EU enlargement should not take place to the detriment of EU food producers and processors.

– It is needed to launch a wide range of measures to prevent the reduction of the profitability of agricultural production, depopulation of rural areas and abandonment of agricultural activity in the EU Member States – mentioned Director Wijatyk. He also stated that we should guarantee an adequate level of financing measures for EU agriculture and rural areas.

– What is required, are resources for structural preparation of the EU agri-food sector for integration with the accession countries, making appropriate adjustment investments, changing the direct payment system taking into account the criteria related to the specific nature of European agriculture as well as gradual and mutual trade liberalisation – said the Director General of the MARD.

About the event

The “Peace and Agriculture” conference has been held as part of the “Bread of Peace” initiative implemented by the German Association “FriedensBrot e. V.” under the patronage of the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany. Poland has participated in this project since its beginnings, i.e. since 2014, together with 11 other countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary). During this year’s edition, Ukraine and Finland also joined the initiative.

Talks on the sidelines of the conference

On the sidelines of the conference, Director General of the MARD Bogusław Wijatyk talked with the Ministers of Agriculture of Germany and Ukraine. He also handed over the invitations to the European Rural Renewal Congress, which would be held the following May in Poznań. The idea of the rural renewal congress was received very positively by the conference participants, especially by the Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany Cem Özdemir.

The “Bread of Peace” initiative

The “Bread of Peace” initiative consists of sowing the grains annually in a place that is symbolic and historically important for each country, and then baking the bread of peace from the yields obtained in each country. The countries participate in the project at the level of ministries of agriculture and social partners. Each autumn, a summary conference is held in one of the countries participating in the project, combined with a ceremony of sharing the bread of peace. The subject-matter of the conference is focused on the issue of world peace and the contribution of sustainable agriculture to the prosperity of societies.

The social partner of the project in Poland is the School Complex in Suchowola, whose graduate was Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, and the coordinator on the part of Poland is the mayor of Suchowola Michał Matyskiel.

Another edition of the conference will be held next year in Hungary.