Polish farm in Skoroszów produces 28 tonnes of carp and manages 80 hectares of Natura 2000 meadows

A family-run fish farm about 20 kilometres from the town of Milicz in south-western Poland raises carp and manages meadows within a Natura 2000 protected area. Owner Janusz Cieleń estimates this year's harvest at about 28 tonnes. That is a small share of national output, as Poland produces around 22,000 tonnes of carp a year.

National context

Worldwide, about 200,000 tonnes of carp are produced annually, around 22,000 of them in Poland. Roughly 850 farms in the country are engaged in aquaculture, using about 70,000 hectares of water. Production is sold mainly on the domestic market. According to the cited figures, 66% of Poles still eat carp on 24 December.

History and land

Bożena and Janusz Cieleń founded the farm in 1989 on land that had belonged to a local agricultural production cooperative, which Janusz Cieleń had chaired. Before that he worked as a legal adviser. The farm now covers 200 hectares: 120 hectares hold three pond complexes, and 80 hectares are meadows used under agri-environmental and botanical programmes. The hay is sold as horse feed. The farm grew gradually, with land and new ponds paid for from carp sales.

The eldest son, Jan, runs the farm together with his parents. During the autumn harvest in October, other family members, two employees and friends help out.

Rearing and sales

The carp rearing cycle lasts three years. Fish are fed from mid-May to the end of August, mainly with grain. By the autumn harvest they weigh 1.8–2.2 kg. About 80% of carp are sold directly from the water. Losses this year were 10–15%, against 50% last season, partly because of cormorants, fish die-offs and poor weather. For the past two years the farm has had no cases of KHV, a highly contagious and incurable viral carp disease.

The farm sells carp at 26 zloty per kilogram, unchanged for two years. Last season the average price in Poland was 28 zloty, and this year it is expected to rise by about 10–15%.

Support and investment

The farm receives direct payments and agri-environmental support, and for the past two years also funding for water-environment measures. EU projects covered 50% of costs, amounting to several million zloty in total. A photovoltaic installation with energy storage is planned next, with funding of half a million zloty.