Polish Agriculture Ministry considers transition pensions for farmers — Interia
Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture is considering introducing transition pensions for farmers. The initiative is intended to encourage older owners to transfer farms to the younger generation amid an aging farming population and succession problems in the agricultural sector.
Aging farmers
As Interia reports, an October meeting of the standing parliamentary subcommittee on food security emphasized the rapid aging of rural Poland. The share of farmers aged over 65 rose from 7.7% to 20% in 2025.
The number of farmers aged 60 to 65 doubled between 2010 and 2025, reaching approximately 150,000 people. Their share in the structure of producers increased from 6.2% in 2010 to 12.6% in 2025.
At the same time, the share of young farmers is declining. In particular, in the under-25 category, it fell from 1.3% in 2010 to 0.8% in 2025. The article cites demographic decline and young people moving from rural areas to cities, particularly in Poland’s eastern regions, among the reasons for the situation.
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Transfer of farms
Under the proposal, a transition pension could supplement payments from Poland’s Agricultural Social Insurance Fund, KRUS. In the second quarter of 2025, the average farmer’s pension amounted to 2,202.83 zlotys. About 90% of farmers receive the minimum pension because they paid basic contributions.
Due to the low payments, older farmers may not be in a hurry to transfer their farms to successors. The article also notes that this process is complicated by some owners’ reluctance to give up work and by differences between generations over farming methods.
There are no specific conditions yet
The ministry stated that after 2027, generational renewal in agriculture will become a priority of the Common Agricultural Policy. For now, transition pensions for farmers remain a proposal: no specific conditions or payment mechanism have been announced. Participants in the meeting indicated that KRUS should examine the possibility of introducing such an instrument.
