POLAND (May 21, 2024) - McCain is proud to join forces with BNP Paribas Bank Polska to launch today a new and exciting regenerative agriculture program in Poland, built on a transition package to support potato growers on their sustainability journey. McCain is supporting Polish potato farmers in their transition to more sustainable agriculture practices, with a range of actions including technical, commercial and financial support. The project is launched in partnership with BNP Paribas Bank Polska, the leader in supporting green transformation in Poland.
Potato farmers are facing increasing challenges that include climate change, variable and unpredictable weather, rising input costs, and regulatory uncertainty. McCain is partnering with farmers to transform the way potatoes are grown using regenerative agriculture practices. The framework McCain has developed globally is an ecosystem-based approach to farming that aims to improve farmer resilience, yield, and quality. This is done by improving soil health, enhancing biodiversity, and reducing the impact of synthetic inputs. Potato farmers in Poland will be eligible to take part in this new program, which is part of McCain’s global commitment to implement regenerative agricultural practices across 100% of its potato acreage worldwide by the end of 2030.
"With potato yields decreasing all across Europe and more extreme climate events, Regenerative Agriculture is not a passing trend : it is a matter of resilience for our entire supply chain. It is McCain's duty to build a robust de-risking package to engage our grower partners into the transition and secure our long term supply, while decarbonizing and preserving ecosystems, biodiversity, soil health" says Leslie Camus, Vice President Agriculture, McCain Europe.
The project is supported by BNP Paribas Bank Polska, the leader in green transformation in Poland where its sustainable financing at the end of Q3 2023 amounted to PLN 8.9 billion, or 9.8% of the bank's total loan portfolio. BNP Paribas BP has also helped a number of industries to open up to green transformation and took part in the largest transaction under the Sustainable Development Goals (SLL) linked formula on the Polish market - for Polsat Plus Group, worth more than PLN 10 billion.
“We are proud to enter a partnership with McCain, one of the global leaders in the sustainable transition of the food value chain. The cooperation between BNP Paribas and McCain will be multidimensional. Thanks to our global presence and expertise we proved our strength in cooperation with multinational corporates. The unique solutions allow to support banks’ clients worldwide and spread the competence on each local market. The footprint of BNP Paribas Group enables clients to reach sustainability goals globally” – says Szymon Bielawa, Director, Head of North America Corporates Coverage at BNP Paribas Bank Polska.
The three pillars of the newly launched McCain regenerative agriculture program include the following:
- Technical support
McCain, together with its independent agricultural expert, Jerzy Prochnicki Ph D, will guide and train a first group of farmers in areas such as soil life, organic matter, cover crop management, crop diversification, biodiversity enhancement. BNP Paribas Bank Polska will, together with McCain, will sponsor the technical training and support of growers for a period of 3 years.
Jerzy Prochnicki explains “Regenerative agronomic practices are the basis for restoring and further increasing soil fertility and producing high-quality food in a cost-effective way, especially for a demanding crop such as potatoes. Moreover, the regenerative agronomic practices will make it possible to store in soil excess carbon from the atmosphere and stop the climate catastrophe."
- Commercial support
McCain will offer a unique three-year contract on a voluntary basis for farmers willing to engage in the regenerative agriculture journey, to reward and support their efforts in this transition. This contract will include a premium in zloty per ton of potatoes delivered coming from regenerative agriculture fields.
- Financial support
McCain will work in partnership with BNP Paribas Bank Polska to support growers in their transition. The partnership will provide a whole range of financial support measures to farmers joining the regenerative agriculture program, including a discounted interest loan to assist them in transitioning to regenerative farming practices. The McCain agreement with BNP Paribas Bank Polska runs over a three-year period.
Roman Majchrzycki, McCain’s agriculture manager in Poland concludes: “After the successful roll-out of McCain Regenerative Agriculture programs in France and the Netherlands, I am proud we are now launching our program in Poland, to support the sustainability of supply and strengthen the collaboration with our farmers”.
“We are proud to join with McCain, one of the global leaders in the sustainable transition of the food value chain. This partnership is a stepping stone towards BNP Group’s ongoing efforts in expanding its financing of decarbonisation and transformation actions among clients in the food industry. Building a loan portfolio resilient to climate change risks, higher profitability for our partners, and lower risk for the Bank are only a few among many benefits such projects could provide to both sides of the partnership, says Elżbieta Bugalska, Food & Agri Strategic Clients Director at BNP Paribas Bank Polska.
The program is a significant new milestone in McCain’s regenerative agriculture journey, which coincides with the company also celebrating 25 years of manufacturing excellence at its Strzelin facility, setting out a bright future for McCain in Poland for the decades to come.
Information about the progress of the regenerative agriculture program will be shared in due time.
NOTE FOR EDITORS
For more information, please contact Roman Majchrzycki, Agriculture Manager Poland: [email protected]; and Elżbieta Bugalska, Food & Agri Strategic Clients Director, BNP Paribas Polska, [email protected].
About McCain in Poland
McCain is a company with a 65-year tradition. Our mission is to provide products of consistently the highest quality, to know and understand the market, to provide the latest technical and agrarian solutions, to continually introduce innovative products to the market and to provide customer service at the highest level. Founded 65 years ago in Canada, McCain is the world's largest producer of French fries, frozen potato products and snacks based on cheese, vegetables and meat. Our company operates in more than 160 countries and employs approximately 23,000 people. Our network consists of 53 production facilities, of which 1 is in Poland. McCain has been operating on the Polish market since 1993, and in 1999 the Polish McCain factory located in Strzelin near Wrocław was opened. This is one of the company's most modern investments in Europe.
About BNP Paribas Bank Polska
BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., which has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since 2011, is a member of the BNP Paribas banking group whose footprint spans 65 countries. In Poland, as a universal bank with a global reach, it provides services to retail customers and other segments including wealth management, microbusinesses, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporate banking. As it advocates green initiatives, BNP Paribas supports its clients in the transition to a low-carbon economy, endeavours to curtail the adverse impact of its operations on the natural environment and inspires clients to make good financial decisions. The bank has provided funding for more than 40 000 households to install photovoltaic panels. The bank also consistently pursues its strategy of financing businesses in Poland while also supporting investments of strategic importance to the country with a positive social, economic and environmental impact.