Procam fined over 1 million PLN by UOKiK for unfair agricultural contracts

The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has imposed a fine exceeding one million PLN on the company Procam for unfair contractual practices involving farmers. The company was found to have used its contractual advantage to shift all weather-related risks onto agricultural producers.

According to UOKiK, Procam’s contract templates required farmers to deliver the full amount of contracted products, such as rapeseed, barley, oats, wheat, and rye, even if crops were destroyed by uncontrollable factors like drought, frost, or hail. Furthermore, the company’s definition of force majeure excluded common weather events and required farmers to provide notice of such events within only two days, a timeframe deemed too short by regulators.

Procam has voluntarily submitted to the financial penalty and has implemented new contract templates as of June 2026. UOKiK emphasized that farmers should not be held liable for failing to meet contracts due to circumstances beyond their control, noting that such exemptions do not require an official declaration of a natural disaster.