COMPETITIVENESS OF MOUNTAIN FARMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The aim of the study was to assess the competitive capacity of commercial agricultural holdings located in mountainous areas of the European Union (EU). First, the concept of competitiveness was examined on the basis of the economic and agricultural economics literature. Next, the organizational characteristics of agriculture in mountainous areas of the EU, including Poland, were described. The subsequent stage involved an analysis of the current competitive position of commercial mountain farms in EU countries. This analysis was based on data from farms keeping accounts within the framework of the European Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN) for the years 2020-2022. In addition, data from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture were used to assess the directions and intensity of organizational changes taking place in Polish agriculture, taking into account municipalities with different shares of mountain agricultural land in the years 2008-2025. The findings show that mountain agricultural land constitutes a significant share of total agricultural land in the EU. Mountain areas in the EU differ in terms of their agricultural use, with permanent grassland as the dominant land-use form. In Poland, compared with other areas, mountain areas have experienced the greatest decline in the number of farms and a marked decrease in livestock numbers. The competitive capacity of commercial mountain farms in the EU is differentiated. Benchmark farms, characterized by high incomes and a positive rate of fixed asset reproduction, are located mainly in Finland, Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic. In Poland, commercial mountain farms face low incomes and depreciation of fixed assets.