Minister of Agriculture Czesław Siekierski will talk to representatives of protesting farmers on Tuesday in Jasionka during the European Agricultural Forum – said Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michał Kołodziejczak.
- The meeting with farmers was supposed to take place some time ago. After the Agricultural Summit in Warsaw on March 9 with the participation of Prime Minister Tusk, it was agreed that work in working groups with the participation of farmers was to start on March 11. However, this did not happen.
- The deputy head of the ministry, Michał Kołodziejczak, announced that Czesław Siekierski will talk to representatives of protesting farmers next Tuesday in Jasionka during the European Agricultural Forum.
- Kołodziejczak also noted that representatives of the ministry would not meet with farmers in Świecko during their protest action on the Polish-German border.
According to Kołodziejczak, their presence in Świecko would be fuel for political fighters. – When organizing protests, it is important not to overheat the topic, so that people who massively support the protesters’ demands do not turn away from them. The border is very delicate, he noted, adding that changes in the Green Deal are going in the right direction.
Kołodziejczak also referred to the future of trade with Ukraine.
The European Commission, the European Parliament and the governments of EU countries have just over two weeks to consult amendments and proposals on what the European Union’s trade with Ukraine should look like. We are talking about introducing quotas. First, there was talk of introducing quotas only for eggs and poultry. Today we are also talking about introducing quotas for wheat, corn and honey. These are far-reaching changes. If the volumes of this import are determined appropriately (…), it will be a huge step towards normalizing relations. It will meet the protesters’ demands, he emphasized.
Will farmers be against limiting the import of Russian fertilizers?
When asked about the inflow of Russian fertilizers to the Polish market, he pointed out that it is very difficult to stop it at the national level. He added that the decision to limit these imports may meet with opposition from protesting farmers because Russian fertilizers are cheaper.
Farmers’ protests have been going on for several weeks in Poland and other EU countries. In Poland, their demands include abandoning the provisions of the Green Deal, sealing the borders against the inflow of agri-food products from outside the EU and defending animal breeding in Poland.
On Sunday, farmers blocked the A2 motorway in Świecko. Then farmers blocked the border crossing in Gubinek. The end of the agricultural block on the A2 in Świecko and Gubinek was planned by the organizer for Wednesday, March 20, at 20:00.
