Not only Polish farmers are worried about their livelihood if Poland enters the EU under the farm aid terms offered by Brussels, but hundreds of European farmers leasing land here as well.
With land scarce and expensive in their countries, hundreds of farmers from Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, France and Belgium have struck out for Poland where land is relatively cheap and plentiful.
And they are among the strongest supporters of the Polish government to hold out for a better aid deal from the EU.
"I dread the future," confided Frenchman Hubert Bricout, 29, who has farmed since 1997 some 1,200 hectares rented from a former state farm outside this northwestern Polish town near the mouth of the Oder river.
He's married a Polish woman, and like most of the Europeans who have begun to farm here, learned Polish fluently.
"I'm unhappy with what they've offered us ... Before it reaches 100 percent we will suffer," he sighed while driving his old jeep across the countryside.
The European Commission's proposal on direct subsidies, which would rise to 100 percent over 10 years, has sparked anger and dismay in the 10 candidate countries who hope to wrap up negotiations this year and enter in 2004. Brussels has argued the scheme will keep incomes from rising too fast and provide a stimulus to restructure and boost efficiency, but farmers in candidate countries fear it will deprive them of income to fund improvements.
"Compared to what I earn today on wheat with subsidies from the Polish government, I would lose about 700 zlotys [US$173 dollars) per hectare (US$70 dollars per acre]," said Bricout.
Also worrying for him is the proposed reference yield per hectare upon which subsidies will be paid. While it is set near average current yields in Poland, which are some half of the EU level, fixing it at this level penalizes farmers who boost productivity.
"For us it is a net loss," he said, having in five years quadrupled the turnover of his farm.
He is not alone in his assessment of the situation.
"The EU is offering Poland a considerable sum of money, one has to admit that," said Adrian, a 32-year-old Swiss farmer growing wheat and sugar beets on nearly 4,000 hectares near Pyrzyce. "But for me, I'd lose a million zlotys [US$248,000] of turnover per year," he stated.
"I am a little bit afraid that the Polish government will agree to the offer," said Andre van Wijgerden, 31, who has farmed 1,500 hectares near the northwestern Polish town of Pezino since leaving the Netherlands nine years ago.
With his Dutch wife and four children he specializes in growing high quality potatoes.
"Holland is a small country where there is little land and it is very expensive," he said explaining his reasons for leaving home.
RISK REMAINS: An official said that with the US presidential elections so close, it is unclear if China would hold war games or keep its reaction to angry words The Ministry of National Defense said it was “on alert” as it detected a Chinese aircraft carrier group to Taiwan’s south yesterday amid concerns in Taiwan about the possibility of a new round of Chinese war games. The ministry said in a statement that a Chinese navy group led by the carrier Liaoning had entered waters near the Bashi Channel, which connects the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean and separates Taiwan from the Philippines. It said the carrier group was expected to enter the Western Pacific. The military is keeping a close watch on developments and “exercising an
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
REACTION TO LAI: A former US official said William Lai took a step toward stability with his National Day speech and the question was how Beijing would respond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday warned China against taking any “provocative” action on Taiwan after Beijing’s reaction to President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Double Ten National Day on Thursday. Blinken, speaking in Laos after an ASEAN East Asia Summit, called the speech by Lai, in which he vowed to “resist annexation,” a “regular exercise.” “China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions,” Blinken told reporters. “On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
RSS