In Poland, farmers are starting a nationwide protest with demands to protect their business from imports from third countries, including Ukraine. The protest will most often take the form of a slow movement of the convoy or a demonstration of agricultural machinery along the roads.
The Polish publication RMF 24 writes about it.
Farmers plan to take to the roads of towns and villages with their tractors and other machinery in more than 150 places throughout Poland. Most of the protests will start at 12 oʼclock local time, but in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, the protest has already begun — there, a convoy of tractors is slowing down the movement of drivers on the roads.
Places where Polish farmers plan to protest.
Farmers put forward two main demands. They demand to stop the "uncontrolled import" of agricultural products from Ukraine and other countries outside the EU, which do not comply with European standards. This allegedly threatens Polish farmers. The strike should also draw attention to the need to prepare a strategy for Ukraineʼs accession to the European Union in the field of agriculture.
Farmers also want a review of the Unified Agrarian Policy and changes and greater "flexibility" to the National Strategic Plan for the entire budget period until 2027.
- From November 6, 2023, Polish carriers started strikes at the border with Ukraine. The main demand of carriers is the cancellation of the so-called transport visa-free for Ukrainian international carriers. On December 27, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland is close to ending the blockade of the Ukrainian border.
- In addition to transporters, Polish farmers also blocked the border, demanding subsidies for the purchase of corn and leaving the agricultural tax unchanged. However, after negotiations with the new government, on January 7, they gave up blocking the border.