Polish farmers lift Ukraine-crossing blockade after deal with gov.

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Jan 2024 00:05
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Polish truckers continued to blockade three other border crossing with Ukraine as no deal was reached with the government yet regarding their demands.

A worker rakes wheat in a granary on a private farm in Zhurivka, Kiev region, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023 (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Polish farmers have decided on Saturday to lift their blockade of the Medyka major border crossing into Ukraine after reaching an agreement with their government.

However, Polish truckers maintained blockades at three other key border crossings, which were set last November.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak warned last month that Ukraine's entry into the European Union could subvert food security in the bloc, laying off European farmers and causing an agricultural ordeal.

Kolodziejczak's statement came after a decision was taken then to establish negotiations concerning Ukraine's admission into the union.

The measure comes to protest what they perceive as "unfair competition" from Ukrainian counterparts and to oppose the easing of access regulations to the European Union for Ukrainian companies.

"We have signed an agreement with the government, and we are waiting for its implementation. The blockade has been suspended until our demands are met," Roman Kondrow, one of the Polish famers' protest organizers, said after the blockades were suspended.

After a brief pause during the holiday season, farmers had resumed their blockade at the border passage in southern Poland, leading to disruption in cargo traffic between the two neighboring countries.

The agreement with the agriculture ministry addresses some of the farmers' demands, including financial incentives and low-rate loans.

Poland's new Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has expressed on Wednesday his intention to persuade haulers to avoid using blockades as a means to protect their interests.

He emphasized his government's complete commitment to safeguarding their interests in the face of what he called "unequal competition."

Ukrainian-Polish relations have stagnated with the beginning of a grain dispute between both countries. The conflict between stemmed from Poland's decision to prohibit the import of Ukrainian grain, a measure taken to safeguard the welfare of its agricultural sector.

Disputes escalated further after former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced last September that Poland will cease sending weaponry to Ukraine to prioritize their defense.