Prospects for Polish-British cooperation
14.03.2024
Today, at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak met with the new Minister-Counsellor at the British Embassy Warsaw, Jennifer Tyldesley. The meeting focused on the state of play and prospects of Polish-British cooperation in the field of agriculture, as well as current challenges in the sector.
On farmers' protests in Poland
Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak emphasised that in view of the difficult situation of farmers in Poland and in other Member States, the Polish government was taking parallel action at national level, at EU level, as well as in bilateral relations with Ukraine.
“Our aim is to find solutions that are acceptable to all the parties and that contribute to de-escalation of the situation at hand,” said Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak.
Agricultural products from Ukraine
Deputy Minister Czerniak said Poland supported Ukraine's accession to the EU, which would require the Common Agricultural Policy to be adapted to the expanding EU.
At the same time, he stressed the need for a solution to the problem of excessive openness of the EU market to Ukrainian agricultural products.
“Europe must develop tools to ensure the competitiveness of its agri-food products. A further decline in the profitability of agricultural production in Poland and the Member States is something we cannot afford,” said Deputy Minister Jacek Czerniak.
Resolution on the application of sanctions on agricultural products originating in Russia and Belarus
Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak announced that on 7 March, the Polish Sejm adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to submit a proposal for sanctions on imports of Russian and Belarusian food and agricultural products into the European Union. The Sejm also calls on the EU Council and the European Parliament to take measures to protect sensitive sectors of the EU market from excessive imports from Ukraine.
Outcome
The readiness for further intensive cooperation at political and expert level was expressed by the Polish and British sides.
The British market for Polish agri-food products
In terms of agri-food trade, the UK is Poland's strategic partner. The volume of trade in agri-food products between the two countries is large and growing. The UK is the second largest destination for Polish agri-food products. In 2023, the value of agri-food exports to the UK market increased by 14% compared to 2022, reaching EUR 4.2 million. Imports of UK agri-food products to Poland are also on the rise, totalling almost EUR 517,000 in 2023 – an increase of 4.4 per cent on 2022.
