The Agency for Restructuring
and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARMA)

This initiative was organized by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Poland. The study visit continued joint efforts to develop agriculture and provided an excellent opportunity for cooperation in preparation for the upcoming Polish and Danish presidencies of the Council of the European Union in 2025.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was represented by Adam Nowak, Undersecretary of State. The Warsaw University of Life Sciences was represented by members of the Agricultural Experimental Station (Obory-Wilanów) and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering. The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture was represented by Joanna Gierulska, Deputy President, and representatives from the Direct Payments Department, the Investment Activities Department, the Reference Data and Field Inspection Department, and the Analysis and Reporting Department.

On the first day of the visit, the Polish delegation visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There, they met with Lars Gregersen, Director General of the Danish Agricultural Agency, as well as representatives from this institution and members of the Danish Council for Agriculture and Food and the Danish Agro Industry association. The visit included presentations on the green transformation of Danish agriculture, climate goals, initiatives aimed at reaching stakeholders in the agri-food sector, and innovative technology. Successful implementation of Danish sustainable development standards in the Polish agri-food sector was discussed, exemplified by the company Goodvalley. Grzegorz Brodziak, President of Goodvalley Agro S.A., spoke on this topic. On behalf of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture, Jolanta Dobiesz, Director of the Direct Payments Department, presented the interventions implemented in the field of climate and environmentally friendly agriculture.

The second day focused on field visits. The participants had the opportunity to learn about innovative solutions implemented by SEGES, an organization dedicated to sustainable and competitive agriculture and food production. Presentations on this topic were given by Lisabeth Henricksen, Executive Director for Innovation. Subsequently, Niels Halberg from Aarhus University presented research and innovative solutions supporting industrial and scientific advisory services in green transformation and climate change mitigation. Participants also learned about ecological biorefining, presented by Kristian Knage-Drangsfeldt from Vestjyllands Andel.

At the end of their stay in Denmark, the participants visited an agricultural school in Gråsten. This institution is located on a 240-hectare farm. Important elements of the farm include a biogas plant, built in 2023, which uses agricultural production residues to generate energy for local needs, and a fully automated cow feeding system. The herd maintained there includes 200 cows annually.