ZAKRET: Polish farmers on Wednesday blocked roads nationwide in a new protest against farm imports from outside the European Union, in particular Ukraine, and environmental regulations that they say increases costs.

The farmers have been blocking border crossings with Ukraine since last month to protest lower cost produce that has been allowed into the EU since Russia’s invasion of the neighbouring country. A demonstration in Warsaw this month by thousands of farmers degenerated into clashes with police.

Polish police said that more than 580 protests involving 70,000 people were planned Wednesday. Farmers targeted roads into Warsaw and other big cities including Wroclaw, Poznan and Bydgoszcz.

Fifty-seven year old farmer Slawomir Miesak said protesters wanted the “the abolishment” of the European Union’s “Green Deal” policies aimed at helping the bloc meet its climate goals.

“That’s the priority. And we also want the closure of the border” with Ukraine, he said in Zakret outside of Warsaw. Fellow protester Przemyslaw Galazka, 33, said the agriculture industry needed more money.

“How long can we produce at a loss? The past two years have been difficult but the price of grain remained more or less stable, whereas now every farmer is asking himself whether it makes sense to go out in the fields and sow,” he said.

Some protesters stalled traffic at the Ukraine frontier, briefly blocking buses waiting at the Medyka border crossing, which led to new frictions between the neighbours.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2024