Farmers are angry that they face unfair competition from cheaper imports from war-torn neighbor and ally Poland.
Polish farmers have blocked border crossings with Ukraine, spilled Ukrainian grain and burned tires as they intensify nationwide protests against Ukrainian food imports and the European Union's environmental policies.
Farmers from Spain to Italy to Belgium have protested in recent weeks, fearing that the EU's Green Deal, which would limit the use of chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions, will lead to lower production and incomes. We are conducting activities.
They were also rebelling against competition from non-EU countries, particularly Ukraine, a large producer of agricultural products.
Polish farmers drove their tractors through cities including Gdańsk and Krakow on Tuesday, honking their horns in a noisy protest. They said their actions would become even more dramatic until their demands were met. Elsewhere, highway entrances and about 100 roads leading to the Ukrainian border were closed.
They are calling on Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government to withdraw Poland from the Green Deal and halt agricultural imports from Ukraine. A sign posted on a tractor in Gdańsk accused the government of caring more about Ukraine than Polish farmers. Another sign read: “Such policies will ruin farmers.”
Farmers spilled Ukrainian grain in the Polish border town of Medica, leading to harsh criticism from Ukraine's ambassador to Poland.
“We strongly condemn the leakage of Ukrainian grain by Medica protesters,” Ambassador Vasyl Zvarich wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “The police should respond decisively and punish lawbreakers.” Ta. It is also the labor of Ukrainian peasants under Russian aggression and their lack of respect for themselves and others. ”
The protests have caused heightened tensions between Ukraine and its neighbors across the western border, which support efforts to repel Russian aggression, but are facing pressure from farmers.
Farmers claim that imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine are creating a glut on the market, driving down prices and damaging their livelihoods.
Tomasz Gorak, who runs a livestock and grain farm, told AFP news agency: “I came here to remove the restrictions introduced by the European Union on fallow land and the Green Deal, and above all to support Ukrainian food production. This is to prevent the influx.” .
“This year, wheat is selling at half the price of last year,” he said.
Last month, the 27-nation European Union eased regulations requiring farmers to keep parts of their land fallow, and extended that exemption this month under pressure from protests.
Roads to EU member Poland have become a lifeline for Ukraine's exports, especially in the agricultural sector, since the 2022 Russian invasion complicated key trade routes through the Black Sea.
In a speech Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy singled out the protesting Polish farmers, saying their actions showed “the decline of solidarity.”
“Enemy shelling continues in the vicinity of Kupiansk, close to the Russian border, and the news from the Polish border seems openly mocking,” Zelenskiy said.
According to Zelensky, only 5% of Ukraine's grain is exported through the Polish border. “So the situation is actually less about grain and more about politics,” he says.
In response to the protests, Ukrainian motorists began rallies near three border points with Poland, Ukrainian media outlet Sasypirne reported. A sign on one truck read: “The blockade of Ukraine is a betrayal of European values.”
Further protests are expected in central Europe on Thursday.