The Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food (ASAF) and the Association of Polish Dairy Processors (APDP) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement covering joint legislative efforts, consumer education, ESG monitoring, and the development of sector-wide coalitions.
The agri-food sector is facing an unprecedented build-up of regulatory challenges—from the European Green Deal and ESG requirements imposed by retailers and financial institutions, to growing consumer demand for transparent and reliable information about food production. At the same time, increasing confusion around terminology and the spread of misinformation in public debate are making it harder to have a meaningful conversation about the future of agriculture.
Our cooperation with the Association of Polish Dairy Processors reflects a natural need to build sector-wide alliances for sustainable food production. The transformation of agriculture in Poland and across Europe cannot happen in isolation. We face shared challenges—from reducing carbon footprints and emissions to improving animal welfare—while also maintaining the competitiveness of Polish producers in the face of rising EU requirements and production costs. These challenges can only be tackled through close cooperation.
– said Dr. Olaf Horbańczuk, Managing Director of ASAF, at the agreement signing.
There is a clear need to better organize and align efforts around sustainable milk production and processing. While multiple initiatives are already underway across different stakeholder groups, we believe that our strategic partnership with the Polish Association for Sustainable Agriculture and Food will significantly improve coordination and impact in this area.
– added Marcin Hydzik, President of the Management Board of the Association of Polish Dairy Processors.
The partnership includes coordinating positions on key legislative processes, including the PPWR regulation, the Farm to Fork strategy, and CSRD requirements across the supply chain. Together, we will respond to regulatory changes by submitting joint positions to the Polish Parliament, government authorities, and EU institutions. At the same time, we are launching a monitoring initiative to track inconsistencies and fragmentation in ESG-related regulations affecting the agri-processing sector, with findings to be shared among members of both organizations.
In terms of public communication, we plan to run educational campaigns aimed at strengthening the image of agriculture, countering misinformation about animal production, and providing an accurate and balanced view of the Polish dairy sector in both traditional and social media.
The partnership will also focus on supply chain initiatives, including training dairy processors on sustainable production practices, as well as dialogue with consumer organizations and retail chains on supplier requirements in the dairy sector.
A dedicated module on sustainable dairy will be developed on the ASAF platform, showcasing the environmental footprint of dairy products (including LCA, GHG emissions, and nitrogen), animal welfare, water and energy management, and ESG reporting tools tailored to the sector.
We are also considering establishing an Expert Council on Sustainable Agriculture and Processing, bringing together representatives from key agricultural and processing industries. The agreement reinforces ASAF’s role as a national umbrella organization for sustainable agriculture, with the Association of Polish Dairy Processors actively supporting the development of sectoral coalitions and effective engagement with public administration and the media.