Signing the agreement will not stop the protests, but is a step towards further talks with the ministry or government, said representatives of agricultural organizations in the conversation.
- Representatives of agricultural organizations signed an agreement with the Minister of Agriculture on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday in Jasionka near Rzeszów regarding further actions of the government.
- The most important provisions of the agreement concern maintaining the embargo on agricultural products from Ukraine and regulating trade relations with this country, changing the regulations of the Green Deal and subsidies for the sale of grain for farmers, said Wiktor Szmulewicz, president of the National Council of Agricultural Chambers.
– The agreement includes what has been talked about for at least two months, that trade with Ukraine should be regulated, there is also the issue of the Green Deal, it is about abandoning some requirements, that there will be no fallowing – said Szmulewicz.
These matters are to be brought to the attention of the government and implemented.
We will see if it will be possible to regulate trade with Ukraine, because attempts have been going on for a long time – noted the head of the Chamber.
Will signing the agreement stop the farmers’ protests?
When asked whether signing the agreement would stop the protests, Szmulewicz said that “the protests were a bottom-up reaction, they were not planned in advance”, “rather” they were organized by the farmers themselves. So there is no single organizer. What will happen next will largely depend on local leaders, he said.
According to the president of KRIR, the protests started from a “slightly different angle”, first the protesters should talk to themselves and choose their representation, so that farmers have no doubts and do not question those who represent them – he said
The agreements in Jasionka were signed – apart from the Minister of Agriculture, Czesław Siekierski – by 11 agricultural organizations, including:
- “Solidarity” RI,
- National Union of Farmers, Agricultural Circles and Organizations,
- Agrounia
- “The Deceived Village”.
Compensations for farmers. What will they look like?
The advantage of the arrangement is that farmers will receive compensation, so some money will go to the countryside, Szmulewicz noted.
The document includes a point regarding subsidies, which are to cover, among others: barley and rye. The subsidies are to be at the level of aid from 2023 and will apply to grain sold in the period from January 1 this year. until May 30 this year
Szmulewicz believes that the protests will become smaller and smaller because farmers have less and less time to participate in these meetings. He emphasized that the Chambers were not the organizer of the protests, but their support was there “because the demands were right.” Asked whether he would continue to support the protests, he said that he would “recommend that the protests be suspended for now and wait for the implementation of these arrangements.”
Not all farmers’ demands have been resolved
According to the spokesman of “Solidarity” RI, Adrian Wawrzyniak, the agreement signed in Jasionka refers only to some demands, but is not a solution to the problems and an answer to all farmers’ demands.
As he said, farmers need extensive support, they want a solution to the issue of grain exports, improved logistics, among others. construction of a grain port, solving issues related to the profitability of agricultural production, establishing minimum prices for agricultural products.
According to the spokesman, signing the agreements will not stop the protests, but it is the first step to conducting talks. – No dates have been agreed yet – he added.
He noted that “the Ministry of Agriculture wanted to sign an agreement in Jasionka, but lacking specific details it was not possible”, only arrangements were signed regarding “the issues raised at yesterday’s meeting.
