Minister of Agriculture: We do not rule out submitting such a complaint as Poland
The Minister of Agriculture holds meetings with the province on Wednesday. West Pomeranian Voivodeship, including in Kołbacz, Grzmiąc, Lubian near Pełczyce and Szczecinek. In the morning, he met with rural women’s groups at the West Pomeranian Agricultural Advisory Center in Barzkowice (Stargard County), where he denied the information provided by agricultural organizations that Poland had resigned from filing a complaint to the Court of Justice of the EU regarding the EU agreement with countries Mercosur.
– The complaint to the CJEU was submitted by the European Parliament and is being considered. We do not rule out submitting such a complaint as Poland, but the complaint is not submitted by the Minister of Agriculture. Just as the Minister of Agriculture is not responsible for signing or not signing international trade agreements, said Krajewski.
He explained that they deal with, among others, ministers of development and technology, finance and economy. He emphasized that the final decision will be made by the government. – Analyzes are ongoing – Krajewski said. – It is not true that the deadline expired on March 9. The deadline expires on May 26, he emphasized.
Some industries will benefit from the agreement with Mercosur countries
The head of the ministry pointed out that on the one hand, agriculture is afraid of potential losses caused inflow of agricultural products from South America, decline in production profitability, but on the other hand, representatives of other sectors of the economy “talk about potential profits”. – For the furniture industry, for the household appliances industry, for tire manufacturers. The government must take all this into account, explained Krajewski.
Farmers’ protests
Minister of Agriculture, referring to demands of protesting farmers (who regularly block roads, among others, in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship), presented the government’s actions, among others. regarding the falling milk purchase prices and rising fertilizer prices. Krajewski announced that he had sent two letters to the EU Commissioner for Agriculture to “make the intervention purchase prices” of milk more realistic, because the rates from 2007-2008 are still in force. The minister admitted that there is no consent yet. European Commission for subsidies for the dairy industry to support it, as it did during the Covid pandemic crisis and after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. – On Monday, I will participate in the Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries of the EU. I will submit such an application, assured Krajewski.
He added that due to the rising prices of fertilizers, the Ministry of Agriculture is in talks with the Ministry of State Assets, which manages chemical plants. Krajewski, however, emphasized that the minister cannot “impose” fertilizer prices or purchase prices for agricultural products, because these are shaped by the market. However, he declared that the government would intervene in the event of price collusion by producers of, for example, fertilizers.
– We can always investigate the issue of whether there has been any price collusion or whether competitive advantages have been exploited – said Krajewski.
Draft act on maintaining the production functions of villages
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture in Barzkowice discussed a draft law on maintaining the production functions of villages, which was presented at the government meeting yesterday. Krajewski said that he expects legislative work to be carried out quickly and the act to be adopted in the first half of this year. He explained that these are legal solutions that will enable the continued operation of farms in areas that have been used by farmers “for generations” and now increasingly developed with housing investments.
Krajewski gave the example of Kołbacz (Gryfino poviat), where a shooting range was established next to a breeding farm. The minister informed that he was going to a meeting with representatives of the Shooting Brotherhood and a farmer who complained about the functioning of the shooting range.
– See how many bad things can happen as a result of such decisions, when the production functions of the village are not preserved, but also the right of priority is not preserved. Because the farmer was the first with his production and today a shooting range is being built next to his farm, which scares away animals and causes more frequent accidents on the farm – emphasized Krajewski.
The minister pointed out that the farmer who intervened during the shooting was punished for the so-called breach of peace. – This is not how it should be solved. There should be legal acts and appropriate solutions that will allow both of them to function. We must use these experiences when processing this important law. The village must remain a village. A farmer must be a farmer – concluded Krajewski.
