Two days, seven debates and discussion panels, 30 speakers, nearly 2000 participants - the European Agricultural Forum took place on 23-24 March in Jasionka near Rzeszów. It is one of the most important agricultural events in this part of Europe. The leading themes of the Forum were the shape of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020 and the role of innovation in modern agriculture.
The Future Of The Common Agricultural Policy - A New Formula, Traditional Debates On The Most Important Problems And Challenges In Agriculture
Current problems, challenges and opportunities faced by Polish and European rural areas - the shape of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020, the conclusions from the overview of the activities of EU countries related to the implementation of the current CAP so far - these were the main themes of the first day of the Forum.
Phil Hogan - EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Krzysztof Jurgiel - Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stephane Travert - French Minister of Agriculture, Pavel Sekac - Czech Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Zsolt Feldman - Hungarian Deputy Secretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, and other prominent guests took part in the Forum's opening debate titled "New financial perspective of the CAP - priorities, assumptions and proposed changes".
Innovations In Agriculture - Are New Technologies Here To Stay In Agricultural Production?
The second day of the Forum was devoted to discussions and presentations related to modern solutions in agriculture. Wolfgang Burtscher - Deputy General Director in the Directorate General for Research, Science and Innovation in the European Commission, Czesław Siekierski - Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Jerzy Plewa - General Director in the General Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ryszard Zarudzki - Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development took part in the debate titled "New technologies and innovative solutions in agriculture - their role in the quality improvement and the production costs reduction".
Panel participants agreed that agriculture is currently facing a number of challenges, such as population growth, the need to save natural resources, or counteracting food waste. It was also pointed out that the development of new technologies and the introduction of innovative solutions is becoming necessary for the further development of agriculture.
Presentations Of Modern Solutions For Agriculture
Discussions and thematic panels held as part of the Forum in Jasionka were accompanied by exhibitions of modern solutions for agriculture. The participants of the event had the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest technologies and innovations, such as those designed to improve the quality of agricultural production, financing and cost reduction or to limit its negative impact on the environment. Meetings with producers, agricultural advisors and representatives of industry organisations were also on the agenda. During the Forum, products and services were presented, among others, by the producers of agricultural seeds, cattle and pig breeders, suppliers of services and equipment for agriculture, companies from the finance and insurance sector as well as the fertilising and chemical sector, including Polska Spółka Gazownicza, PZU SA, Alior Bank, BASF Polska, Grupa Azoty, White Hill, KWS Polska, Chemirol, SHiUZ Bydgoszcz, PRONAR, National Centre for Research and Development, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Towarzystwo Ubezpieczeń́ Wzajemnych, National Centre for Agricultural Support, Bioelektra Group, Agropolis, SWIMER, Smart Soft Solutions, Mojestado.pl, Plantalux and Cereus Wena.
2nd Edition Of The Józef Ślisz Award
The Józef Ślisz Award was also presented for the second time during the Forum by the award committee composed of Elżbieta Bieniasz - Józef Ślisz's daughter, Jarosław Kaczyński - President of Law and Justice political party and Artur Balazs - Chairman of the Foundation's Committee. The award aims to honour organisations or persons distinguished by their commitment to the promotion of civic and democratic attitudes, as well as Christian values and broadly understood development of rural areas. In 2018, during the European Agricultural Forum, the Polish Society of the Righteous Among the Nations was honoured for its work in commemorating Poles helping Jews as well as spreading knowledge about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the Second World War.