During the European Agricultural Forum in Jasionka, a debate is held with representatives of agricultural organizations taking part in the protests and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The participants of the talks are: Czesław Siekierski – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and the leaders of agricultural organizations and unions taking part in the protests.
Farmers’ representatives included: Andrzej Sobociński, a farmer from Żuławy; Władysław Serafin, president of the National Association of Agricultural Circles and Organizations; Tomasz Obszański, president of NSZZ Rolników Indywidualnych Solidarność, Adam Koncik, farmer protesting at the border in Świecko; Filip Pawlik from Agrounia; Roman Kondrów, leader of the protest in Medyka, and Wiesław Gryn, a farmer from the Lublin region.
The debate is moderated by Artur Balazs – Chairman of the Chapter of the EFRWP Foundation, former Minister of Agriculture.
Will the agreement be signed?
There is more and more pressure from the government to reach an agreement with the protesting farmers. Unofficially, it is said that this will happen today.
The negotiating group includes farmers and representatives of agricultural organizations who take part in the debate. Nothing is certain – the negotiations, which take place in a very limited group, cause a lot of opposition among other farmers – they do not like the fact that decisions are made in a small, and quite controversial for many, group.
We will follow the course of the debate on an ongoing basis. Stay with us!
The debate was started by Artur Balazs.
We must find a solution that will be good for both Poland and the European Union. It can’t be done overnight. It is a long, tedious and responsible process, he said. – You cannot support Ukraine in their fight and destroy the Polish market. Farmers need agreement and good solutions just like they need oxygen. We sit down to this debate with a sense of great responsibility, but also great hope.
The first topic discussed by farmers was the development of infrastructure enabling efficient export.
Every protest, every rebellion begins with unheard people, said Wiesław Gryn. – In order to reach an agreement, both sides must have good will and make concessions somewhere. The first basic thing is transport. We need the expansion of railway lines and ports.
The second person to speak was Roman Kondrów, the leader of Podkarpacka Oszukana Wieś, who first thanked the protesting farmers.
I regret that no one has sealed this border so far. We fought to prevent this grain from coming to us, but it enters and returns from the German border. We want to tighten controls at the border. We know that borders cannot be closed, there must be cooperation, there must be exchange. But how much pressure should we put on this government to listen to us? – He was asking. – The Prime Minister disrespects us. We do not expect to sign an agreement, it is very bad, prices are falling, we expect compensation.
Later in the debate, farmers drew attention to the problem of drought and the lack of adequate tools that enable a real assessment of the level of losses.
Poultry farming is also a big problem, said Artur Koncik. – Turkey farming is in a terrible condition. It’s not profitable for us. And now we hear that we won’t be able to heat the henhouses with gas. That’s not acceptable! We changed everything to EU standards, and now it turns out that this is also bad. We are standing against the wall, Minister.
Tomasz Obszański, chairman of NSZZ RI Solidarność, pointed out that agriculture is at a crossroads and we need to be careful not to fall over.
A number of problems can be solved quickly and the ministry should take this seriously. The Green Deal should be assigned to countries – in each country, appropriate to the structure and nature of farms, he said. – Whatever can be changed on our Polish political scene should be done immediately. You just need a bit of good will. Nothing has been done so far, the deputy ministers are only promoting themselves in the media.
Agrounia’s representative, Filip Pawlik, emphasized that he could not imagine leaving Jasionka without signing the agreement.
If we do not reach an agreement at some stage, the five minutes we have created may escape us – added Władysław Serafin. – How could the Green Deal be adopted in this form? This shows the incompetence of the state. Our protest is not so that they will give us money. we want compensation for the losses. Our condition for signing the agreement is to restore the situation at the borders to the pre-war state. Quotas, customs duties and most importantly – this is an administrative decision of the Brussels government. It can be done in one day.
Andrzej Sobociński pointed out that Donald Tusk himself stated that he did not understand the Green Deal. So who passed this bill without understanding it?
The fact that GAECs are loosened is something, but it is still a problem. Why are there three eco-schemes in Germany and 16 in Poland? A horse in a row to whoever can read and understand it, he said. – Can’t it be made simpler? We have proposed six eco-schemes. But this requires will. We will help with this.
What about the minister?
Beginning his speech, the minister emphasized that the situation was very difficult and that talking about it was the same, but at the same time he emphasized that without talking, nothing could be achieved.
Protests in many places, without structures, resulted in the creation of a new platform of contacts. Farmers are protesting for a just cause and I was and am on their side. Agriculture always depends on external conditions. This time the situation is absolutely unique due to the war and trade liberalization. Ukraine is actually in the EU and has access to markets. The EU took the easiest path, but farmers pay for it, explained the minister. – Russia has destabilized the entire world market. In addition, there was inflation and high production costs. All this has made the situation very difficult. The biggest problem is that the weakest link in the chain from farm to fork is the farmer, because he has no influence on the prices of the means of production, but on the final price of the product.
The minister assured that talks with Ukraine, although very difficult, are ongoing, but U
the land does everything to keep the market open.
On March 28, there is a joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Poland in Warsaw. We want specific solutions to be reached then. Especially solutions related to ATM – added the minister. We are also conducting bilateral negotiations regarding licensing to ensure control over the flow of products. If there is no consensus, we will use the final solutions, but before we do that, we must take into account that in addition to being an importer, we are also an exporter.
The minister also cited changes in the Green Deal.
After the debate, a meeting between the minister and the debate participants is planned. Will it end with the signing of an agreement? We will keep you updated.
