– I selected the strengthening of family farms as a priority for my mission as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Minister said.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, amendments in legislation will be needed to empower family farms.

– At present, it is the main farmer that enjoys the full rights, which has led to complications with inheritance or the implementation of EU programmes, said Grzegorz Puda.

Minister Puda also pointed out that it is very important to ensure a horizontal extension of family farms by setting up strong cooperatives of family farms, which will be perceived as a single strong entity in the agricultural market.

Environmentally friendly, organic farms will be an important focus in the future Common Agricultural Policy.

– Together with Commissioner Wojciechowski, we are ready to introduce all kinds of incentives to encourage farmers to cultivate land and engage in production while respecting nature and still earning profits, said the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

– Animal welfare, which is another objective of the European Commission, is also our priority, and we are going to allocate slightly more funds for this purpose, asserted Minister Puda.

– The third element of the new Common Agricultural Policy, namely animal welfare, is already being implemented in Poland. We will do our utmost to make sure that farmers are interested in making investments in animal welfare and that they will benefit from it, asserted the Minister.

The host of today’s meeting pointed out that a new European label in the field of animal welfare will soon be introduced. From the consumer perspective, the label will confirm the high quality of meat obtained without unnecessary animal suffering.

– Those who will enter this system will become competitive on the market, stressed Minister Grzegorz Puda.

Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski emphasised the important role played by Minister Puda in reaching a compromise at the most recent meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council and thanked him for his very active involvement.

– Farmers are waiting for decisions. This is going to be a joint decision by the trilogue composed of the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission. Consultations will continue until the end of the year. We want to make sure that the recommendations take into account the realities of each Member State, the Commissioner added.

Commissioner Wojciechowski said that recommendations concerning Strategic Plans had been shared with individual countries.

– The Commission is working with the Member States, including the Polish Government, to prepare such plans, i.e. a specific document that individual countries will offer to their farmers, selecting the CAP elements that are particularly relevant for them, said Janusz Wojciechowski.

– We have also endeavoured to adapt these recommendations to the specific situation of Poland, a country where family farms play a particular role and have a special place in the agricultural structure, the Commissioner assured.

Summing up, Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski made a direct address to farmers.

– Please do not be afraid of the European Green Deal in agriculture. These environmental requirements are voluntary. Nobody will be forced to participate in agri-environment schemes or environmental programmes. Farmers will have the option to participate in these programmes on a voluntary basis if this makes sense to them. Our role in the Strategic Plan is to provide the right programming for these activities to make sure that participation makes sense to farmers and brings benefits, emphasised Janusz Wojciechowski.