INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

The future of Polish and European agriculture, as well as the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, and the current challenges – primarily those connected with the newly signed European Union – Mercosur agreement – were the focus of a Monday (19 January) debate at the Marshal’s Office, hosted by Marshal Piotr Całbecki and the President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Chamber of Agriculture, Ryszard Kierzek. Participants included agricultural producers and representatives of farmers’ unions and organizations, government administration and expert communities, as well as Regional Councillors and members of parliament.

– The EU – Mercosur agreement is a very bad agreement – there is no doubt about that. Its consequences will affect not only farmers. It is an agreement with a “delayed fuse”; the real effects will come in a few years. I believe we can prepare for this – regions, the government, agricultural chambers across the country – so that at least some of the consequences can be mitigated. A very important part of these preparations should be convincing society to choose primarily domestic, Polish products. If we develop such a habit in society, we will be able to reduce the negative effects of this agreement – said Chairman Ryszard Kierzek as he opened the meeting.

– What matters to us above all is the voice of practitioners, who on a daily basis face the real consequences of political and economic decisions concerning agriculture, as well as the situation on agricultural product markets. We cannot pretend that there is no problem and that mythical EU funds will solve everything. As the self-government of a region that is one of the largest agricultural producers in the country, we must try to stimulate preparations for operating under new conditions – stated Marshal Piotr Całbecki in his speech.

The head of the region, who sits on the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and is Chair of the CoR Commission for Natural Resources (NAT), is also the rapporteur of the committee opinion currently being prepared on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, in the context of determining the future of cohesion policy and the new long-term budget.

Speaking today about the work on the document, he pointed to the most important recommendations included in it:

• proper protection of the EU internal market
• contract farming (which will eliminate oversupply and uncontrolled price declines)
• a guaranteed minimum agricultural income mechanism
• a legal environment friendly to agriculture
• reducing bureaucracy in EU support for agriculture
• shortening supply chains
• changing the rules for distributing EU funds for agriculture and creating regional strategies for agricultural development

Concluding his speech, he announced the establishment of a Council for Agriculture and Rural Development under the Marshal of the Region.

Prof. Wawrzyniec Czubak from the Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness at the Poznań University of Life Sciences explained to those gathered what the agreement with Mercosur, just signed in Paraguay’s capital, means for Polish and European agriculture. Mercosur (the Southern Common Market) is a trade bloc formed by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The Mercosur countries together constitute the world’s sixth-largest economy. The EU – Mercosur agreement creates the largest free trade area in the world and a market worth almost 20% of global GDP. The agreement, among other things, opens the European market to agricultural products from Mercosur countries, including beef, soy, and cane sugar – sectors in which Mercosur is a global leader.

Among those who spoke during today’s debate were Senator Ryszard Bober, Vice-President of the Regional Parliament Józef Ramlau, and Chair of the Parliament’s Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development Paweł Zgórzyński.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

19 January 2026
Last updated: 20 January 2026