Polish farmers launch large protests demanding imports from Ukraine

A nationwide protest of farmers in Poland is starting today to demand protection of their business from imports from third countries, including Ukraine.

According to RMF FM, farmers are planning to take to the roads of cities and villages with their tractors and other equipment in more than 150 locations across the country.

The protest will most often take the form of a slow-moving convoy or a demonstration along the road rather than a blockade.

The key demand of the protest is to stop “uncontrolled imports of agricultural products from Ukraine and other countries outside the EU that do not comply with European standards.”

Polish farmers insist that they are in a non-competitive position because they are required to comply with a number of rules and spend extra money on certain environmental protection measures, while these requirements do not apply to producers in third countries.

They also want to call for the preparation of a “strategy for Ukraine’s accession to the EU in the field of agriculture” with a division into sectors.

Another demand of the protesters is to revise the common European policy on agriculture. In particular, they are dissatisfied with a number of restrictions associated with the European Green Deal and want changes and more “flexibility” in the national strategy for the entire period until 2027.

As reported, Ukraine has offered Poland a mechanism for verifying agricultural exports in accordance with the decision of the European Commission, which is already effectively working with Romania and Bulgaria.

Tags: Poland, protests