Polish farmers block Ukraine's border in grain import protest
Polish farmers have blocked border crossings with Ukraine, spilled Ukrainian grain and burned tyres as they intensified a nationwide protest against the import of Ukrainian foods and European Union environmental policies, Al Jazeera reported.
Farmers from Spain to Italy to Belgium have been protesting in recent weeks, worried that the EU’s Green Deal plan to place limits on the use of chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions will result in a reduction in production and income.
They were also revolting against competition from non-EU countries, in particular Ukraine, a large producer of agricultural goods.
Polish farmers drove their tractors on Tuesday through Gdansk, Krakow and other cities, honking their horns in the noisy protest. They said their action would become ever more dramatic until their demands are met. Elsewhere they blocked the entrances to highways and about 100 roads to the Ukrainian border.
They want Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government to withdraw Poland from the Green Deal and to stop the import of agricultural imports from Ukraine. A sign on one tractor in Gdansk accused the government of caring more about Ukraine than Polish farmers. “Such a policy ruins farmers,” another sign said.
The farmers spilled Ukrainian grain in Medyka, a Polish border town, leading to sharp criticism from the Ukrainian ambassador to Poland.
“We strongly condemn the spilling of Ukrainian grain by protesters in Medyka,” Ambassador Vasyl Zvarych wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding, “The police should react decisively and punish those who break the law. It is also a lack of respect for the work of Ukrainian farmers in conditions of Russian aggression, towards themselves and other people.”
The protests are a growing source of tensions between Ukraine and neighbours across its Western border which support its efforts to fight off Russia’s invasion but are facing pressure from farmers.
The farmers say Ukrainian grain and other food imports are damaging their livelihoods by creating a glut in the market that pushes down prices.
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