On 18 August, the Polish government is due to consider amendments aimed at strengthening legal protection for agricultural activity. President Karol Nawrocki, as well as the Confederation and Law and Justice (PiS), have also submitted their own proposals. The legislative push comes amid increasingly high-profile neighbour disputes over noise, odours and other inconveniences associated with farming and livestock production. The new rules could also affect the property market. Land located directly next to farms engaged in intensive agricultural production could lose value, while developers may have to exercise greater caution when selecting locations for new projects.
The case of Szymon Kluka, a pig farmer from Grodzisk near Łódź, lasted for more than a decade. Kluka has operated his farm since 2004, and in 2014 he opened a new pig-fattening facility, increasing production to around 360 animals per cycle.
His neighbours bought their plots in 2010 and 2013, knowing that a farm and pig-breeding operation were located nearby. In 2017, they sued the farmer, citing, among other things, unpleasant odours. The court ordered him to pay more than PLN 110,000 and to reduce the nuisance caused by the livestock operation. In May 2025, the Supreme Court dismissed his cassation appeal.
“We currently have four draft laws: one from the government, one from the president and two submitted by political parties. This is connected with the case of the farmer from near Łódź, which received extensive media coverage and sparked a public debate,” Wojciech Rynkowski, an expert at Extradom.pl, told Newseria Biznes.
Government proposal would require buyers to acknowledge rural nuisances
The government bill amending several laws in order to protect the productive agricultural functions of rural areas was prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The document was submitted for public consultation in March, and the government is due to consider it on 18 August.
Among other measures, the proposal is intended to improve the information provided to people buying property in rural areas about possible inconveniences associated with agricultural activity.
“The government proposal primarily introduces a declaration made before a notary. Anyone buying a plot in a rural area or next to a rural area would have to sign a notarised statement confirming that they understand the consequences of such a location,” Rynkowski said.
“The second proposal is to clarify that normal agricultural activity, such as field work, does not constitute a disturbance of night-time peace. There have been cases during harvest season when a combine harvester was operating after 10 p.m. and neighbours called to complain about night-time noise. The third proposal would introduce a provision into the Civil Code stating that typical agricultural activity falls within the scope of normal use of property,” he added.
President Karol Nawrocki has also submitted his own bill on protecting the productive function of rural areas. The proposal was submitted to the Sejm on 7 April. It was referred for public consultation in July, with the consultation period ending on 8 August.
“The presidential proposal goes a step further. It introduces a presumption that the effects of agricultural activity, such as possible odours or noise, do not exceed the limits of normal property use. It would also introduce mandatory mediation before a dispute could be taken to court,” Rynkowski explained.
“Restricting the operation of a farm would be treated as a last resort and would only be possible where there is a genuine threat to people or the environment. This clearly strengthens the position of farmers,” he said.
Confederation proposes protection for the “sensory heritage” of the countryside
Two parliamentary bills concerning the protection of agricultural activity are also being considered by the Sejm.
A proposal submitted by Confederation MPs would introduce the concept of the “sensory heritage of the countryside” into Polish law. It would cover characteristic smells and sounds resulting from agricultural activity.
Emissions associated with farming conducted in accordance with the law, accepted social norms and local conditions would receive legal protection and would not be treated as an infringement of other rights.
A similar approach has been adopted in France, where since 2021 the characteristic sounds and smells of rural areas have been legally recognised as part of the countryside’s sensory heritage.
A separate bill submitted by Law and Justice MPs proposes that when assessing noise, odours and other nuisances caused by agricultural activity, authorities and courts should take into account the agricultural purpose of the property and apply a higher threshold for what constitutes an acceptable level of disturbance.
Changes in the designation of surrounding land or local conditions would not prevent an existing agricultural business from continuing its operations.
Both parliamentary bills were submitted to the Sejm in early 2025 and remain under consideration.
“These kinds of problems are typical of virtually every major investment, whether it involves a wind farm, solar farm, biogas plant or waste incinerator. They can also arise when infrastructure is upgraded, for example through the expansion of an airport or railway line,” Rynkowski said.
“Such projects often generate strong public opposition, particularly among people living closest to them. The role of the government and public authorities is to strike a balance between the interests of local communities, the strategic interests of the state and property owners’ right to enjoy their homes without excessive disturbance.”
More Poles are moving to rural areas
For more than a decade, rural areas have been gaining new residents as a result of domestic migration.
According to Statistics Poland (GUS), the positive net migration balance for rural areas amounted to 36,100 people in 2025. A year earlier it stood at 42,400, compared with just 4,200 in 2000.
“The countryside is not only a place people willingly move to in search of peace and quiet. It is also the workplace of farmers, who run their farms there and produce food for all of us,” Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski said.
The Union of Meat Industry Producers and Employers, citing data from public opinion research centre CBOS in its Report on Legal and Social Challenges in the Modern Countryside, notes that 78% of respondents associate rural areas primarily with nature and an unspoilt environment.
Half of respondents see the countryside as a place of rest, relaxation and tranquillity. Rural areas are also associated with fresh air and natural beauty by 41% of Poles, while 23% associate them with peace and the absence of noise.
Only 6% of respondents associate the countryside with hard work.
Rural property prices could be affected
According to Rynkowski, strengthening legal protection for existing agricultural activity could have significant consequences for Poland’s property market.
“The new regulations will undoubtedly have a fairly substantial impact on the property market. Plots located directly next to farms, particularly those engaged in intensive agricultural production, could lose value, while other areas could benefit,” he said.
Developers could also be forced to reassess plans for housing projects on the outskirts of villages and other rural locations.
“Developers that have so far been willing to build in these areas will have to reconsider their plans because neighbouring agricultural activity will receive much stronger protection. It will no longer be as easy to argue, for example, that a combine harvester operating after 10 p.m. constitutes unacceptable noise,” Rynkowski said.
