Comments from PIS -Departures
A former deputy prime minister and former defence minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, warned on X that the government is lining up another blow to Polish farming. He outlined a sequence of steps: a green order, negotiations on a Mercosur contract, and a rise in the health premium, arguing that Prime Minister Tusk’s government threatens the future of Polish agriculture. [Citation omitted]
The vice minister of Health Wojciech Konieczny, aligned with the Polish Socialist Party, spoke on the WP program about what he sees as chronic underfunding of Poland’s health care system. [Citation omitted]
Journalist Patryk Michalski posed a direct question about the magnitude of the funding gap now facing the health system. [Citation omitted]
Konieczny explained that the exact figure depends on how the system is balanced. He noted that figures mentioned by some observers range from twenty to thirty billion PLN, but he would not pin a fixed number while it remains tied to forthcoming ministry decisions. [Citation omitted]
He highlighted a central question: what level of health contributions should farmers pay? [Citation omitted]
Michalski asked whether the health premium paid by farmers in Poland is adequate. [Citation omitted]
He replied that the rate is not adequate and remains far too low. Currently it sits at about one zloty per hectare, a level that does not cover the costs. [Citation omitted]
That assessment, he added, underscores the mismatch between charges and farming realities. [Citation omitted]
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Members of the Law and Justice party reacted with visible indignation at the vice minister’s proposals, arguing that farmers face growing burdens. [Citation omitted]
The government is described by critics as pursuing a new sequence of blows to farmers: a green order, negotiations on a Mercosur deal, and now another rise in the health premium. Critics view the Tusk administration as a direct threat to Polish agriculture. [Citation omitted]
This view was echoed by Mariusz Błaszczak, the former deputy prime minister who also held the defence portfolio. [Citation omitted]
Konieczny argued that farmers must pay higher health contributions because one zloty per hectare is incompatible with farming realities. He asked whether voters realize that farmers do not have fixed incomes and their earnings depend on weather, costs, and policy choices. Instead of loading more charges, the government should consider how to sustainably support Polish agriculture rather than repeatedly pressing on farmers. [Citation omitted]
Robert Telus, a Law and Justice MP and former Minister of Agriculture, indicated agreement with these concerns. [Citation omitted]
The text notes a possible misspelling but confirms Konieczny’s identity; he claimed that taxes paid by farmers are unfair because they are too low and do not reflect needs. He warned that post‑election tax increases could affect farmers. [Citation omitted]
A PiS spokesperson, Rafał Bochenek, cautioned against oversimplifying the issue. [Citation omitted]
The government under Tusk was described by critics as aiming to widen the budget gap and threaten food security by backing Mercosur, with concerns about the effect on the common agricultural policy and ongoing production. Anna Gembicka, a Law and Justice MP and former Minister of Agriculture, offered this assessment. [Citation omitted]
[Citation omitted]