In a special parliamentary committee session on flood relief, lawmakers from Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish People’s Party (PSL)-Third Way coalition voted against a proposal by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party to provide financial relief for farmers affected by recent floods. The rejected amendments, presented by PiS, sought to exempt flood-impacted farmers from paying contributions to the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS) for 12 months.
PiS MP Marcin Ociepa expressed disappointment with the vote, highlighting the urgency of providing relief to farmers who are facing significant losses. Krzysztof Ciecióra, another PiS MP and co-author of the amendment, criticized the government’s slow response, stating that funds promised from rural development programs (PROW) would arrive too late for those in need.
The Ministry of Agriculture had previously promised to submit proposals that would ensure affected farmers could avoid paying KRUS contributions without losing their entitlement periods. However, former agriculture minister Anna Gembicka lamented that these promises, once again, remained unfulfilled.