Poland’s Janusz Wojciechowski was appointed the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) in December 2019.
Less than a month later, the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Europe and the pandemic has dominated the European and global agenda ever since.
Commissioner Wojciechowski’s focus was on keeping food supplies and agri-trade moving.
“I would like to thank all EU and Irish farmers for their work in providing food security for EU citizens.
“In this unprecedented crisis, we had a lot of problems such as the health service and economic crisis but at this time farmers provided food security,” he tells the Irish Farmers Journal in an exclusive interview.
It is €26.5bn better than the original proposal, up from €365bn to €391.5bn for both pillars
He details the green lanes established at borders to clear food, animals and seasonal workers, as well as intervention and private storage schemes put in place to prevent disaster in dairy and meat markets when food service outlets shut all over Europe.
Commissioner Wojciechowski also highlights the bigger budget proposals for CAP, pointing out the benefit for Irish farmers.
“It is €26.5bn better than the original proposal, up from €365bn to €391.5bn for both pillars,” he says.
“This is also more for Irish farmers. The initial proposal was for €10bn for both pillars – now there is €10.7bn. Of course, we don’t know what the final decision of the Council will be but I hope this new proposal will be approved.”
When asked if he believes more is attainable in the final negotiations, he says: “We have the normal budget, the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the recovery plan.
The €391bn [CAP budget] should not be the only finance for agriculture and rural areas.
I hope the German presidency can conclude it. We have on the table good proposals, offensive proposals that are good for farmers
“My idea is that the recovery funds should also be used for the agricultural sector, such as processing, and the wider food sector to assist recovery. It is important to have good synergy between the policies and I would also see the cohesion policies used to get more money to rural areas.”
He describes it as “absolutely necessary” to finish the European budget debate as soon as possible.
“I hope the German presidency can conclude it. We have on the table good proposals, offensive proposals that are good for farmers.
“There will be a practical negotiation at the EU summit in July where I hope we make progress. Our farmers need certainty on the future and have clear indication on the budget.”
Ireland as an exporter
The Polish man is well aware of Ireland’s reliance on exports of food and drink.
“Dairy is the biggest sector in Ireland with 4.5% of the EU market, and beef production, which accounts for almost 8% of the EU market. It has bigger production than my home country Poland, which is also a large producer.
There is no plan to stop animal transport
“There are problems. Irish agriculture depends on export markets but it is my obligation to support Irish farmers and the Green Deal/Farm to Fork is the chance to better promote European production,” he says.
When asked about Ireland’s reliance on livestock exports, he is reassuring.
“There is no plan to stop animal transport. There is, of course, the issue of the conditions for this transport and we should do more to improve the conditions of transport. The EU has planned a review of the legislation on the transport of animals but there is no plan to stop it,” he says.
“We should pay more attention to local markets, but this isn’t the answer for Irish farmers because Irish farmers produce 20 times more than local consumption. We should also work to increase demand for produce inside Europe, not just outside Europe.”
It surprised all – and shocked many – that the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy is not being led by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and is instead being spearheaded by European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides.
Commissioner Wojciechowski, however, appears comfortable that he is fulfilling his brief.
My contribution to the strategy was very active
“It is Farm to Fork and I am responsible for the first part, the farm. Farming is the most important but it is also about a sustainable food industry including transport and retail,” he says, pointing out that food safety and food quality always fell under the remit of the commissioner with responsibility for public health.
“My contribution to the strategy was very active and there are two things that are particularly important to me. I got the Commission to agree that it was important to measure the implementation of the Farm to Fork strategy and monitor the impact of the strategy particularly on farmer incomes, farmer competitiveness and food security,” he says.
Irish farming is based on the family farm model, which is 99% of Irish farming and the workforce is the family
“It is also essential that the individual approach is left to the member states as the starting point is different [between member states]. I believe Irish agriculture is sustainable. It won’t be Ireland that has the greatest problem with the use of pesticides and antibiotics, etc. Irish farming is based on the family farm model, which is 99% of Irish farming and the workforce is the family,” he elaborates.
The future is organic
All EU member states will present a national plan for the next CAP, which must be approved by Brussels. Commissioner Wojciechowski has several pointers for Ireland.
“The Government needs to give serious consideration to organic farming. The target of 25% organic by 2030 is a challenge. The EU current average is 8% and, in Ireland, 2% of land is under organic management. It won’t be easy for Ireland but I think it might be interesting, especially for dairy farmers,” he says.
“My idea is not to force farmers to be organic but to encourage them by incentives, using funds from Pillar II [rural development] and maybe the Eco scheme from Pillar I [direct payments]. We are discussing in the Commission how to strengthen the first pillar to support farmers who want to be organic. It is also important to increase the market and consumer demand for organic.”
Farm retirement and young farmers
Commissioner Wojciechowski has expressed concern on several occasions about the lack of young farmers coming into the sector, pointing out that more than 1,000 farmers were lost per day, on average, between 2006 and 2016.
The Irish Farmers Journal asks if he would be supportive of an early retirement scheme for Irish farmers as part of Ireland’s national plan.
“This is the question about the lack of generational renewal that is a problem in the EU, but not as bad in Ireland.
“We have to firstly strengthen the support for the young farmers. This is an important part of the second pillar?, with support also in Pillar I.
“The retirement question should first be for national policy. I am generally in favour but it cannot be my official answer at the moment because we don’t have the final legal basis in place yet,” he says. He references a Polish scheme that used EU funding to pay farmers who ceased working and allowed their children to farm.
Farming is high risk and it is easy to lose everything
“It was an effective support, but for me the important issue is to strengthen the security of farmers,” he says, outlining his desire to give farmers economic security, in the same way farmers give food security to the public.
“Farming is high risk and it is easy to lose everything because of natural disasters, climate change, economic crises and political crises such as the Russian ban and US tariffs, etc.”
“It is my ambition, and the Commission’s, to strengthen crisis management.
“In Pillar II, there are funds that can be used to make farms more resilient for the crisis situation.”
Mercosur and trade agreements
When questioned about the dichotomy of pledging economic security for farmers with making global trade agreements that open up the EU market to competing agricultural produce, the Commissioner is aware of Ireland’s concern. 
“Generally, international trade agreements are good for the EU economy. An open market is of benefit to the EU and generally for the food and agriculture sector as well, because the EU is the biggest food exporter in the world. Trade agreements give us more opportunities,” he says.
However, he concedes: “There are sensitive sectors, and I know the importance of beef production in Ireland and the concerns of the Irish farmers.
“The Commission is finished with the Mercosur deal but we will monitor the situation. If there is a negative impact or risk to competitiveness of Irish farmers, we will consider the instrument of intervention to support farmers.”
In the face of Brazil’s failure to replant rainforest, as required by the terms of the Mercosur deal, the Irish Farmers Journal asks the Commissioner if the EU can credibly ratify the deal.
“It is not my responsibility to implement this agreement. My colleague Commissioner Hogan is responsible for this. All parts of the agreement should be respected by both sides. The Brazil obligations should be monitored and taken into account in the ratification process,” he says.
Farm to Fork: threat or opportunity?
“I am sure this is an opportunity for all farmers in the EU, including Irish farmers,” the Commissioner says.
“We will change policy to give more support to the small and medium family farms, which Irish farms generally are.
“Support for organic farming will also mean less costs for fertilisers and pesticides, while getting money from the EU budget through the support for organic.
“It should be seriously considered by Irish farmers. It is my intention and the Commission’s intention to motivate farmers by financial support.
“It is necessary to do this [Farm to Fork].? We need a more sustainable food system, more healthy food and our agriculture should be friendlier for the environment, climate and animal welfare but the CAP should be more friendly for farmers.”
When asked if Europe reduces its food production, would that not mean the food will be produced in less sustainable areas of the world, Wojciechowski says: “It is the intention of Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity strategy to promote the EU standards for the global market and in trade agreements.
“The opportunity for EU farmers is not in the quantity of production but the quality of production.
“I am optimistic that the situation for farmers will be better in the future than it is now. According to FAO analysis, in 2050 we will need 70% more food. At present, the question is how to sell food. In the future, the question will be how to buy food. That is where the potential is,” he predicts.
‘Save our farmers’
“It is also important to recognise that in one decade we lost 4m farms in the EU – 1,000 farms per day. We need to stop this process and save our farmers, especially the small- and medium-sized farms which are very important for food security.”
‘We want to do everything together with farmers’
Closing the interview, Commissioner Wojciechowski is keen to set farmers’ minds at ease about the Commission’s objectives for agriculture.
“I would like to say very clearly is that our intention is not to force farmers or administer pressure on farmers to be more sustainable but to support them. We want to do everything together with farmers. Farmers are part of the solution – the partner, not enemies. Everything together with farmers,” he maintains.
Food security
“No stick, only carrot, only support for farmers,” he says, before adding: “I would also like to thank Irish farmers for their part in food security in the EU. In this unprecedented crisis, there was no single day that there was a problem with food supply.”
Janusz Wojciechowski: his background
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski at the 57th International Agriculture Fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, in Paris, in February 2020.
Janusz Wojciechowski was born into a farming family, on a 42ha farm in Poland. He studied law and went on to become a judge, while his brother runs the family farm. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, becoming vice-chair of its agriculture committee. In 2014, he became chair of the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals in the European Parliament.
Poland’s Janusz Wojciechowski was appointed the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) in December 2019.
Less than a month later, the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Europe and the pandemic has dominated the European and global agenda ever since.
Commissioner Wojciechowski’s focus was on keeping food supplies and agri-trade moving.
“I would like to thank all EU and Irish farmers for their work in providing food security for EU citizens.
“In this unprecedented crisis, we had a lot of problems such as the health service and economic crisis but at this time farmers provided food security,” he tells the Irish Farmers Journal in an exclusive interview.
It is €26.5bn better than the original proposal, up from €365bn to €391.5bn for both pillars
He details the green lanes established at borders to clear food, animals and seasonal workers, as well as intervention and private storage schemes put in place to prevent disaster in dairy and meat markets when food service outlets shut all over Europe.
Commissioner Wojciechowski also highlights the bigger budget proposals for CAP, pointing out the benefit for Irish farmers.
“It is €26.5bn better than the original proposal, up from €365bn to €391.5bn for both pillars,” he says.
“This is also more for Irish farmers. The initial proposal was for €10bn for both pillars – now there is €10.7bn. Of course, we don’t know what the final decision of the Council will be but I hope this new proposal will be approved.”
When asked if he believes more is attainable in the final negotiations, he says: “We have the normal budget, the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the recovery plan.
The €391bn [CAP budget] should not be the only finance for agriculture and rural areas.
I hope the German presidency can conclude it. We have on the table good proposals, offensive proposals that are good for farmers
“My idea is that the recovery funds should also be used for the agricultural sector, such as processing, and the wider food sector to assist recovery. It is important to have good synergy between the policies and I would also see the cohesion policies used to get more money to rural areas.”
He describes it as “absolutely necessary” to finish the European budget debate as soon as possible.
“I hope the German presidency can conclude it. We have on the table good proposals, offensive proposals that are good for farmers.
“There will be a practical negotiation at the EU summit in July where I hope we make progress. Our farmers need certainty on the future and have clear indication on the budget.”
Ireland as an exporter
The Polish man is well aware of Ireland’s reliance on exports of food and drink.
“Dairy is the biggest sector in Ireland with 4.5% of the EU market, and beef production, which accounts for almost 8% of the EU market. It has bigger production than my home country Poland, which is also a large producer.
There is no plan to stop animal transport
“There are problems. Irish agriculture depends on export markets but it is my obligation to support Irish farmers and the Green Deal/Farm to Fork is the chance to better promote European production,” he says.
When asked about Ireland’s reliance on livestock exports, he is reassuring.
“There is no plan to stop animal transport. There is, of course, the issue of the conditions for this transport and we should do more to improve the conditions of transport. The EU has planned a review of the legislation on the transport of animals but there is no plan to stop it,” he says.
“We should pay more attention to local markets, but this isn’t the answer for Irish farmers because Irish farmers produce 20 times more than local consumption. We should also work to increase demand for produce inside Europe, not just outside Europe.”
It surprised all – and shocked many – that the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy is not being led by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and is instead being spearheaded by European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides.
Commissioner Wojciechowski, however, appears comfortable that he is fulfilling his brief.
My contribution to the strategy was very active
“It is Farm to Fork and I am responsible for the first part, the farm. Farming is the most important but it is also about a sustainable food industry including transport and retail,” he says, pointing out that food safety and food quality always fell under the remit of the commissioner with responsibility for public health.
“My contribution to the strategy was very active and there are two things that are particularly important to me. I got the Commission to agree that it was important to measure the implementation of the Farm to Fork strategy and monitor the impact of the strategy particularly on farmer incomes, farmer competitiveness and food security,” he says.
Irish farming is based on the family farm model, which is 99% of Irish farming and the workforce is the family
“It is also essential that the individual approach is left to the member states as the starting point is different [between member states]. I believe Irish agriculture is sustainable. It won’t be Ireland that has the greatest problem with the use of pesticides and antibiotics, etc. Irish farming is based on the family farm model, which is 99% of Irish farming and the workforce is the family,” he elaborates.
The future is organic
All EU member states will present a national plan for the next CAP, which must be approved by Brussels. Commissioner Wojciechowski has several pointers for Ireland.
“The Government needs to give serious consideration to organic farming. The target of 25% organic by 2030 is a challenge. The EU current average is 8% and, in Ireland, 2% of land is under organic management. It won’t be easy for Ireland but I think it might be interesting, especially for dairy farmers,” he says.
“My idea is not to force farmers to be organic but to encourage them by incentives, using funds from Pillar II [rural development] and maybe the Eco scheme from Pillar I [direct payments]. We are discussing in the Commission how to strengthen the first pillar to support farmers who want to be organic. It is also important to increase the market and consumer demand for organic.”
Farm retirement and young farmers
Commissioner Wojciechowski has expressed concern on several occasions about the lack of young farmers coming into the sector, pointing out that more than 1,000 farmers were lost per day, on average, between 2006 and 2016.
The Irish Farmers Journal asks if he would be supportive of an early retirement scheme for Irish farmers as part of Ireland’s national plan.
“This is the question about the lack of generational renewal that is a problem in the EU, but not as bad in Ireland.
“We have to firstly strengthen the support for the young farmers. This is an important part of the second pillar?, with support also in Pillar I.
“The retirement question should first be for national policy. I am generally in favour but it cannot be my official answer at the moment because we don’t have the final legal basis in place yet,” he says. He references a Polish scheme that used EU funding to pay farmers who ceased working and allowed their children to farm.
Farming is high risk and it is easy to lose everything
“It was an effective support, but for me the important issue is to strengthen the security of farmers,” he says, outlining his desire to give farmers economic security, in the same way farmers give food security to the public.
“Farming is high risk and it is easy to lose everything because of natural disasters, climate change, economic crises and political crises such as the Russian ban and US tariffs, etc.”
“It is my ambition, and the Commission’s, to strengthen crisis management.
“In Pillar II, there are funds that can be used to make farms more resilient for the crisis situation.”
Mercosur and trade agreements
When questioned about the dichotomy of pledging economic security for farmers with making global trade agreements that open up the EU market to competing agricultural produce, the Commissioner is aware of Ireland’s concern.
“Generally, international trade agreements are good for the EU economy. An open market is of benefit to the EU and generally for the food and agriculture sector as well, because the EU is the biggest food exporter in the world. Trade agreements give us more opportunities,” he says.
However, he concedes: “There are sensitive sectors, and I know the importance of beef production in Ireland and the concerns of the Irish farmers.
“The Commission is finished with the Mercosur deal but we will monitor the situation. If there is a negative impact or risk to competitiveness of Irish farmers, we will consider the instrument of intervention to support farmers.”
In the face of Brazil’s failure to replant rainforest, as required by the terms of the Mercosur deal, the Irish Farmers Journal asks the Commissioner if the EU can credibly ratify the deal.
“It is not my responsibility to implement this agreement. My colleague Commissioner Hogan is responsible for this. All parts of the agreement should be respected by both sides. The Brazil obligations should be monitored and taken into account in the ratification process,” he says.
Farm to Fork: threat or opportunity?
“I am sure this is an opportunity for all farmers in the EU, including Irish farmers,” the Commissioner says.
“We will change policy to give more support to the small and medium family farms, which Irish farms generally are.
“Support for organic farming will also mean less costs for fertilisers and pesticides, while getting money from the EU budget through the support for organic.
“It should be seriously considered by Irish farmers. It is my intention and the Commission’s intention to motivate farmers by financial support.
“It is necessary to do this [Farm to Fork].? We need a more sustainable food system, more healthy food and our agriculture should be friendlier for the environment, climate and animal welfare but the CAP should be more friendly for farmers.”
When asked if Europe reduces its food production, would that not mean the food will be produced in less sustainable areas of the world, Wojciechowski says: “It is the intention of Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity strategy to promote the EU standards for the global market and in trade agreements.
“The opportunity for EU farmers is not in the quantity of production but the quality of production.
“I am optimistic that the situation for farmers will be better in the future than it is now. According to FAO analysis, in 2050 we will need 70% more food. At present, the question is how to sell food. In the future, the question will be how to buy food. That is where the potential is,” he predicts.
‘Save our farmers’
“It is also important to recognise that in one decade we lost 4m farms in the EU – 1,000 farms per day. We need to stop this process and save our farmers, especially the small- and medium-sized farms which are very important for food security.”
‘We want to do everything together with farmers’
Closing the interview, Commissioner Wojciechowski is keen to set farmers’ minds at ease about the Commission’s objectives for agriculture.
“I would like to say very clearly is that our intention is not to force farmers or administer pressure on farmers to be more sustainable but to support them. We want to do everything together with farmers. Farmers are part of the solution – the partner, not enemies. Everything together with farmers,” he maintains.
Food security
“No stick, only carrot, only support for farmers,” he says, before adding: “I would also like to thank Irish farmers for their part in food security in the EU. In this unprecedented crisis, there was no single day that there was a problem with food supply.”
Janusz Wojciechowski: his background
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski at the 57th International Agriculture Fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, in Paris, in February 2020.
Janusz Wojciechowski was born into a farming family, on a 42ha farm in Poland. He studied law and went on to become a judge, while his brother runs the family farm. He was elected to the European Parliament in 2004, becoming vice-chair of its agriculture committee. In 2014, he became chair of the Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals in the European Parliament.
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