"Lawyer on the Farm" series, we'd like to present the parliamentary draft bill on the Agricultural Ombudsman (the " Draft Bill "). Due to its extensive nature and undoubtedly significant implications for Polish agricultural law, the information about the Draft Bill has been divided into two parts. First, we'll focus on the general role of the Agricultural Ombudsman and the challenges it faces.
Pursuant to Article 1 of the Draft Act, the purpose of the Agricultural Ombudsman ("Agricultural Ombudsman") will be to safeguard the rights of farmers and to perform its tasks in order to strengthen the protection of their legitimate interests .
It should be noted at the outset that the RPR will not be elected by Parliament. The President of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers will, by operation of law, hold the position of RPR, and the Minister responsible for agriculture, which under current law is the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, will appoint him to this position.
First and foremost, it's important to note who specifically the Agricultural Ombudsman is tasked with fulfilling. Article 2 of the Draft Act explicitly states that this refers to farmers associated with agricultural self-government under the Act of 14 December 1995 on Agricultural Chambers .
Turning to the tasks of the RPR, the Office explains that the Draft Act opens a catalogue included in Article 6, Section 1 of the Draft Act:
1) providing opinions on draft normative acts concerning the interests of farmers;
2) assistance in organizing mediation between farmers and public administration bodies;
3) cooperation with non-governmental, social and professional organisations whose statutory objectives include the protection of farmers’ rights, and cooperation with associations, civic movements, other voluntary associations and foundations, as well as with foreign and international bodies and organisations for the protection of farmers’ rights;
4) initiating and organizing educational and information activities related to the performance of agricultural activities in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
5) taking other actions referred to in Article 7, provided that they serve to protect farmers' rights.
In the Office's opinion, it is worth first considering point 1. Currently, in the context of a potential food crisis, it will be crucial to increase protection of the economic interests of Polish farmers and provide them with favorable conditions for continued work. The primary goal of ensuring the country's food security must be coupled with decent and favorable conditions. Therefore, the RPR will be able to actively participate in the legislative process of bills concerning the agricultural sector, i.e., question potentially unfavorable solutions for farmers or propose beneficial changes to its opinions.
Point 2 addresses the issue of dialogue between the state and farmers, as it generally refers to assistance in organizing mediation. Considering the number of disputes in recent years, it is expected that the role of the RPR may be crucial, especially in situations where farmers' interests are threatened . Over the past 20 years, disputes between farmers and the Polish state have been pursued regardless of the political affiliation of the current government. Therefore, it should be noted that this is not a particular problem of a specific political party, but rather a universal problem related to the fact that farmers have simply not had their own guardian of rights. In the justification for the Draft Act, the applicants point out that the decision to establish the RPR is justified by providing farmers with legal assistance, which will not involve the need to incur legal costs.
For farmers, problems may arise not only with issues strictly related to legislation (Act of 19 October 1991 on the management of agricultural real estate of the State Treasury (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2025, item 826), Act of 19 October 1991 on the management of agricultural real estate of the State Treasury (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2025, item 826), Act of 8 February 2023 on the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027), but also with purchase prices – for dairy products, cereals, corn or meat. Current problems of farmers are also significant – the decreasing number of young farmers interested in continuing agricultural activities or rising prices of energy or fertilizers. In all these matters, the active agricultural RPR will be crucial and it should be expected that it will take actions that will protect the interests of farmers.
In this context, it will be crucial to balance the inherent conflict of interests, so that agricultural production is never again led to, for example, roadblocks, but instead is based on a dialogue that considers all interests, one that will, of course, lead to a real solution to the farmers' problem . This issue is also complemented by the RPR's ability to collaborate with associations, organizations, and agricultural circles to bring the protection of agricultural interests closer together at the private level (during the self-organization of agricultural self-government) and at the public level. Therefore, the RPR's task appears undoubtedly difficult and requires the ability to compromise, but it should be expected that it will be guided – in accordance with the requirements of the Draft Act – by the interests of farmers.
This is especially true given that Polish food is also a vital element of the Polish economy. Polish products are not only a fresh, safe, and highly valuable food staple, but also a source of constant imports to Western European Union countries, which, for obvious reasons, should be of interest to the Polish state. In February of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that the value of Polish food exports reached €53.5 billion (PLN 231 billion), a 2.7% increase compared to 2024. Therefore, the issue of increasing protection for Polish farmers is not just a local matter, and therefore, increased involvement in this sector should be viewed with optimism.
We would like to invite you to read the next article in this series, in which we will talk about the specific competences of the RPR in court proceedings.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
The law is current as of October 1, 2025.
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