During the Congress, Minister Siekierski was accompanied by the Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak.

Changes in Polish agriculture

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that that year we were celebrating the 20th anniversary of our presence in the European Union.

– But the changes in the meat sector started even 35 years ago, when Poland commenced its political transformation – stressed Minister Czesław Siekierski and added that its effect was a very dynamic development of the poultry sector and the beef sector.

The Minister reminded that we were one of the European Union leaders in the production of poultry meat, for which more than 50% was exported.

– The situation is more difficult in the pig sector, where we have now only about 8.5 million pigs, but we are taking all measures to change this situation – added the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Polish Presidency

In his speech, Minister Czesław Siekierski reminded that from 1 January 2025 Poland would take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

– During our presidency, we will want to review the Green Deal, particularly the changes introduced at the initiative of Poland – said Minister Czesław Siekierski.

According to the Minister, it is also necessary to start a discussion on the future accession of Ukraine to the European Union.

Development of the meat sector

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture pointed to the challenges regarding ensuring food security, also in terms of quantity.

– Studies show that by 2050 there will be 10 billion of us on Earth, which means that the food production must be increased by 70% – stressed the Polish Minister.

– This also means an increase in the demand for meat. In Poland, we will support the development of this sector – assured Minister Czesław Siekierski.

Scope of the Congress

The World Meat Day Congress is an international event of the meat industry, attended by farmers, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, meat plants, agricultural organisations and science, as well as foreign guests.

On the sidelines of the Congress, informal talks were held with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Poland, Sun Linjiang. During the meeting of the Ambassador with Minister Czesław Siekierski and Secretary of State Jacek Czerniak, the issues related to trade in agri-food products were discussed. In particular, they discussed the regionalisation in trade in poultry and the possibilities of finalising a regionalisation agreement by the end of this year, as well as an audit of our meat plants to enable the export.

World Meat Day

During the Congress, participating representatives of the meat sector from Poland and foreign countries signed a declaration establishing 6 June the World Meat Day.

The declaration was signed by representatives of:

• Polish Meat Association;
• National Poultry Council;
• Polish Association of Poultry Producers - Poldrób;
• Association of Butchers and Producers of Processed Meat of the Republic of Poland;
• Polish Beef Association;
• Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers;
• Union of Producers and Employers of Meat Industry;
• National Federation of Poultry Breeders and Egg Producers;
• Polish Federation of Poultry Breeders;
• European Livestock and Meat Trades Union;
• National Association of Employers – Pig Producers POLPIG;
• Polish Pig Breeders and Producers Association „POLSUS”
• #HodowcyRazem Organisation