Poland’s Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARiMR) opened a second call on 22 September 2026 for training providers to run free, targeted courses for farmers on potato biosecurity. Applications can be filed until 23 October 2026, only through the government’s Portal Rolnika.
According to ARiMR’s announcement, the training must cover on-farm biosecurity rules that prevent Clavibacter sepedonicus (bacterial ring rot) and Ralstonia solanacearum (brown rot) — the two bacterial quarantine diseases that most often trigger restrictions on potato trade in the EU. The budget for the call is PLN 4 million, and after evaluating the offers the agency will select a single provider to deliver the courses.
The support comes from intervention I.14.1 “Professional development of farmers – module 2: targeted training” under Poland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027. The previous call in the same module, held from 20 April to 18 June 2026, focused on short food supply chains.
Polish farm media add more detail. Farmer.pl reports that the programme is expected to reach about 3,200 farmers, with regional quotas of 50 to 400 participants, and that bidders must show at least 20 training events with at least 600 participants in the past five years. These figures could not be found on the ARiMR page itself and are given here according to farmer.pl.
Why it matters
Ring rot and brown rot are listed as quarantine pests in the EU: a single confirmed finding can lead to destruction of lots, demarcated zones and lost export contracts for seed and ware potatoes. Poland remains one of Europe’s larger potato producers but has a history of ring rot findings, so a nationwide training effort funded from the CAP budget is a signal that the authorities treat phytosanitary status as a trade issue, not only an agronomic one. For growers, the courses are free; the real test will be how many farms change daily practice — machinery hygiene, certified seed, and storage sanitation — after the training.
Photo: Potato field in Poland (illustrative). Slawek Ilski / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Sources: ARiMR, 9 September 2026; ARiMR call page; farmer.pl, 22 September 2026.
