Polish farmers plan to protest in Warsaw against European Union policies and imports from Ukraine on January 3. The demonstration will take place at 2:00 PM (3:00 PM Kyiv time).
Points of attention
- Polish farmers are set to protest in Warsaw against EU policies and imports from Ukraine on January 3, organized by the Union of Agricultural Organizations.
- The protests are fueled by opposition to EU policies like the Green Deal and imports from Ukraine, as well as concerns over deforestation, hunting, and economic decline in Poland.
- Blockades on the Ukrainian-Polish border since 2023 have caused disruptions in logistics, with negotiations leading to temporary unblockings, yet conflicts with farmers persist.
- The protests specifically target agreements with Mercosur, the green course, imports from Ukraine, as well as issues related to Polish forests, hunting, and the local economy.
- The protest organizer, Tomasz Obshansky, voices the farmers' concerns over the harmful EU policies and the potential threat to the existence of farms in Poland.
Polish farmers will protest again over Ukrainian grain
The protest is being organized in front of the European Commission office. After that, the protesters plan to go to the National Theater.
It is noted that the organizer of the protest is the Union of Agricultural Organizations, which includes 21 associations of Polish farmers.
"All agricultural organizations in our country will protest against the harmful EU policy, against Ursula von der Leyen, who is imposing this policy, which will lead to the closure of our farms," said Tomasz Obshansky, leader of the National Union of Individual Farmers "Solidarity".
Farmers will oppose:
agreements with Mercosur, an economic union of states in South America;
green course;
imports from Ukraine;
destruction of Polish forests and hunting;
the extinction of the Polish economy.
Protests by Polish farmers and blockade of the Ukrainian border
The first wave of blockades on the Ukrainian-Polish border began in 2023. At the same time, Polish protesters demanded a return to the practice of issuing permits for Ukrainian freight carriers. The protests, in turn, led to disruptions in logistics in the agricultural sector and other sectors.
After several rounds of negotiations between Kyiv and Warsaw, in April 2024, freight traffic at the border was unblocked.
However, Polish farmers renewed the blockades several more times after that.
