Aid for flood-affected farmers – regulations updated

On November 7, 2024, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issued a regulation from October 31, 2024, amending the provisions on the detailed conditions and procedures for granting and disbursing financial assistance for operations aimed at restoring agricultural production capacity under the sub-measure “Investment in restoring agricultural land and production potential damaged by natural disasters, adverse climatic events, and catastrophes” as part of the Rural Development Program for 2014–2020 (Journal of Laws, item 1630).

The regulation introduced the possibility of supporting investments destroyed by the flood that occurred in September 2024 in southwestern Poland. This aid does not apply to buildings that require mandatory insurance. The regulation came into force the day after its announcement.

Aid for farmers affected by the September 2024 flood

The regulation published on November 7, 2024, provides the possibility of financial support for farmers affected by the flood in September 2024. The goal is to rebuild farms damaged by the catastrophe of September 2024 (excluding buildings that require mandatory insurance). This support will be launched under sub-measure 5.2 of the Rural Development Program for 2014–2020, with a budget of 22 million euros.

Key changes introduced by the regulation

The regulation, announced on November 7, 2024, introduced several key changes relevant to farmers affected by the recent flood. These include:

• The aid is directed exclusively to farmers in areas where a state of natural disaster has been declared due to the September 2024 flood in the southwestern part of the Republic of Poland.
• The deadline for submitting payment requests has been extended to August 31, 2025.
• Requirements for estimating production levels were specified, separately for livestock production and crops affected by the disaster.
• For agricultural production, damages must amount to at least 30% of the average annual production.
• Clarification was made regarding the submission of payment requests.
• The operation is to be carried out in a single stage.
• The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture is to process the payment request within two months of its submission and, upon approval, promptly disburse the funds.

Application process for aid to farmers affected by the flood

The application announcement is planned for November 15, 2024. Affected farmers will be able to apply for funds from November 22, 2024, to December 31, 2024. The aid intensity will be 80% of eligible costs, with a maximum support amount of PLN 300,000 per farm.

Eligible costs include:

• construction, reconstruction, or renovation of buildings;
• purchase of new machinery, equipment, polytunnels, and other equipment for agricultural production, storage, drying, warehousing, preparing agricultural products for sale, particularly equipment for cultivation, maintenance, protection, fertilization, and harvesting of crops; equipment for preparing, storing, cleaning, sorting, grading, and packaging agricultural products; machinery or equipment for feed preparation or storage; machinery or equipment for watering and feeding livestock; equipment for collecting or storing milk;
• restoration of:
  • hop plantations, orchards, or berry plantations with fruit-bearing species effective for over 5 years;
  • agricultural production potential in farms by establishing hop plantations, orchards, or berry plantations with fruit-bearing species effective for over 5 years;
• purchase of livestock forming the basic herd as defined by the regulations on the organization of breeding and reproduction of livestock;
• purchase of computer equipment and software as well as patents and licenses supporting agricultural activities;
• purchase, installation, or construction of technical infrastructure elements that directly impact the conditions for conducting agricultural activities.