Polish farmers to strike on Ukraine border
Polish farmers are expected to blockade border crossings to Ukraine today.
Over the past month, farmers across the EU have demonstrated against EU measures aimed at tackling climate change, which could negatively impact the traditionally large agricultural subsidies. Currently, one-third of the EU’s budget is dedicated to its agriculture policy. Attempts at reducing this share or trying to push the sector toward reducing its greenhouse gas emissions are generally met with infrastructure-crippling protests, as happened across France, Spain, Italy, Germany and other EU countries.
In response, the European Commission agreed to scrap its plans to halve pesticide use across the continent. However, protests have continued across many countries, including Poland. In addition to opposing EU policy, Polish farmers have long opposed cheap agricultural imports coming from Ukraine. The farmers are in the midst of a month-long strike across Poland and have announced a complete blockade of all border crossing between Poland and Ukraine today. They are expected to block roads, railways and sea ports.
Ukraine will likely have to agree to curbing its food exports to Poland to assuage the local farmers. Nonetheless, overall support for Ukraine will remain strong. The ongoing issue of European farmers receiving high subsidies for inefficient and unsustainable farming practices will likely not be solved anytime soon, as this remains a highly sensitive topic across the EU.
