European integration is at risk. Deputy Minister Nowak directly

Farmer: The situation in agriculture is currently very difficult. In fact, all of Europe is protesting. It is certain that there are no easy and quick solutions. So where should you start to stabilize the market?

Adam Nowak: First of all, looking back. All the odium falls on the current ministry, but it’s not like that. The PiS government wanted its man at all costs. He fought for the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Areas to equalize subsidies and thus fulfill the obligations he set himself and made during the elections. However, they did not think about the fact that being in a minority in the EU and appointing the Commissioner to such an important position for Poland, for Polish farmers, for the Polish economy, means that his arguments will not be heard. The fact that the commissioner says certain things in the media has nothing to do with reality. Realistically speaking, it is unable to conduct dialogue in the European Union.

I can tell you a lot about what negotiations in the EU look like based on my experience in the European Council of Young Farmers, when different positions were discussed in direct contacts, we had to talk, convince, and show how it affected the entire European agriculture. Commissioner Wojciechowski in the European Commission does not have this space and this is PiS’s mistake. You should have taken, for example, a commissioner responsible for border protection, perhaps responsible for issues related to some security area or some small economic sector. However, by appointing a person without a political position as Commissioner for Agriculture in such a responsible position, European agriculture was united against the idea of ​​European integration.

I fully understand farmers’ frustration with what has happened in recent years, because the EU has, above all, destabilized agricultural markets. The Green Deal and eco-schemes are one of the easiest elements to point out, but the main problem is the destabilization of European markets.

Who then is responsible for this destabilization?

The European Union, the entire Union, did not take advantage of the opportunities that appeared in this tragedy of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was necessary to use cheap grains and re-export them, because I would like to draw attention to one thing: there is a shortage of food in the world. There is a grain deficit and a food deficit in the world, and someone is waiting for this grain, someone needs this grain, and in our country there is a crisis with surpluses.

Our predecessors, the PiS government, but also the EU authorities and commissioners, whether trade, the agriculture commissioner or the commissioners for foreign affairs, did nothing to find these markets.

How does the ministry intend to act now?

What I am currently doing in my area at the Ministry of Agriculture may not be that spectacular, but it is basic work. We regularly and systematically meet with diplomatic representatives and ambassadors, and we build international contacts anew.

Maybe it’s not as spectacular as checking the quality of grain at the border, which I emphasize is also important to control it, but above all, you have to look far and wide, because the changes we started today will be felt by farmers in a year, two, or maybe even longer.

We must say clearly that everyone must do what they have to do. One of the roles of the Minister of Agriculture, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Technology Development and government agencies, is to look for sales markets and create opportunities to export Polish products.

Agriculture and the logic of the free market economy in general is simple. We must feed our nation, our inhabitants, and process as much as possible and sell it at a profit for our country.

It seems that someone forgot these basic economic principles at this point, because it turned out that grain from abroad, largely from Ukraine, entered the internal market for internal consumption.

Nowak: we need to protect our internal market

We forget that we need to protect our domestic market in terms of quantity and quality, because it is the safety of our citizens.

Polish food is of very high quality, but it may lose its reputation if this quality is not confirmed in such a way that all products come from Polish raw materials.

We must do everything we can to promote the brand of Polish food and Polish agriculture. Sometimes these actions are not obvious and seem illogical, but they are effective.

What non-obvious actions are you talking about?

For example, we conduct conversations based on the field of culture and art, with artists. A perfect example here is the Oscar-nominated film The Peasants. This is an excellent opportunity to promote Polish food.

Specifically, it is associated with the countryside and agriculture. You should take advantage of such opportunities! True, they are not obvious and not very popular, but they turn out to be extremely effective.

The same applies to new sales markets in African countries, Central Asian countries and many others.

There are many sales markets. Getting in touch with them is one thing, but how do you arrange transportation? Our infrastructure – whether port or railway – is basically in decline.

We need this port infrastructure. I do not want to comment on the condition of the coast, the port and these activities, because it is not within my competence. However, we could certainly make better use of the KPO opportunities and the opportunities resulting from financing related to the war in Ukraine for the expansion of port infrastructure. It is extremely important not only for food security, but also for national security.

There is a lot going on in the ministry right now. A lot of work at the basics, which may not be visible from the outside, but it is this work that will bring the best results.

Minister Siekierski has a strong position at the level of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, he is one of the most experienced politicians in the field of agriculture and he can use it, and I know that he still uses it. We just need to show it more, this dialogue with other ministers. The minister said clearly that the Union must revise its climate, trade, customs and general policy addressed to farmers, i.e. the common agricultural policy. Without this, there will be no stability to take over farms, and the greatest guarantor of food security in Poland and Europe is the stability of farms, generational replacement and the willingness to take over these farms.

First of all, young farmers should not be discouraged

Fewer and fewer young people want to take over farms, how can we encourage them to do so?

Above all, do not discourage. I asked for a letter to be prepared on my behalf and I addressed the letter to all agricultural schools to thank and honor young farmers and students of agricultural schools who took an active part in the protests. Of course, not with any quarrels or brawls, because these are young, cultured, intelligent people. What should a 17-18-year-old say who has decided to go to an agricultural school and it turns out that his workshop is failing, that he will not be able to make a living from it, that he will not be able to support his family, that he will not be able to develop farms?

I asked for these young people to be made visible. Appropriately reward behavior grades to encourage young farmers to associate.

I know that the demands coming from the protests are bitter. Also for us, for the Ministry, but we see one thing, a certain miracle of farmers’ unification, which has not happened since Lepper’s times. Today’s protests are even on a larger scale, because the situation may have been dramatic then, but it was probably not as unpredictable as it is now. Therefore, market issues are very important to us here, but we must remember that agriculture requires a broad conversation in the EU and in Poland.

So what is the course of action for the next few days?

Everyone should do what is within their competence. Searching for sales markets, appropriate preparation of aid programs, and specialized inspectors to verify matters at the borders. We cannot be everywhere and deal with everything, because then the work in the ministry will stop, and this will mean that we will achieve the expected results much later, and we will not solve the problems as quickly as we would like, as quickly as the farmers would like.

In fact, in Europe we have a fire in the field of agriculture and we need a broader look at these matters. Today, it is not about the commissioner participating in local protests and saying what he wants to do there. His task is to work in the Commission, lobby and push his position. Without it, nothing will succeed.

You can always look for individual culprits, dismiss directors, and fire people in subordinate units. Only in this way we do not treat the cause, but only the symptoms. Primary treatment involves finding the cause and treating that cause.

What causes of the “disease” of agriculture would you point to in Europe?

This cause is in three places.

Firstly, there is the issue of EU policy, but not only when it comes to the Green Deal. These sick procedures have driven farmers to frustration and to the edge of their endurance. Well, the peak here and the hit were geotagged photos of manure in the fields. The next one was fallowing, which means taking away farmers’ income.

The EU’s trade policy is also a problem. We need to help Ukraine, we know that, but we cannot do it at the expense of farmers, processors, the economy, those who work honestly, because it will turn out that the Polish economy will not be able to compete in any way or even cooperate with the Ukrainian economy if it , will join the Union.

If today we were to conduct a survey among farmers: Do you support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union? It’s up to you to decide what the effect would be. They could not have imagined a better result and a better dream in the Kremlin.

We must remember that the issue of Ukraine is complex, but the EU must also remember not to destroy European integration with help for Ukraine, these war games, both stationary and hybrid, because it is under threat today as never before.

In your opinion, can the current crisis lead to the collapse of the European Union? Or to completely verify the main assumptions?

I remember Poland’s entry into the EU in 2004, where agricultural organizations, unions, and entire rural communities lobbied for Poland’s entry into the European Union.

Looking at the development of farms during these 20 years of being in the EU, it must be assessed positively. Looking at the level of machinery and equipment, the development of farm infrastructure, but also rural infrastructure – roads, sports fields, playgrounds, community centers. This applies to various areas of life and should be assessed as a positive.

The problem is that farmers did not expect such a collapse, which left them with loans and good machines, because they are needed on farms today. Farmers decided to make these investments to be able to work more effectively and meet the conditions imposed by the EU, but they had to take out loans to do so and today they are left with drama, they are left with loans that they cannot and will not be able to service at these grain prices. This will have a great impact on the entire economy in the long run. That’s why it’s no coincidence that I talked about it at the protests. Moreover, the minister also said that farmers are protesting not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of consumers, because in a moment the crisis will affect other parts of the economy and ultimately all consumers.

I hope that there will be reflection among European Commission officials, because what is happening is a threat to agriculture, but it is also a threat to the idea of ​​European integration. And this is the third step. A threat to Europe’s security. Union! European officials, commissioners! Wake up while you can still wake up, because in a moment the situation may be unsalvageable.

Thank you for the conversation.